Mr. Jerry Gleeson a retired postal worker from Bensalem, PA and his granddaughter, Taylor St. Clair, a 7th grader at William Penn School, were showered with gold as they purchased the one millionth ticket at The Franklin Institute Box Office. They also received an overnight hotel package from the Rittenhouse Hotel including dinner at the 4-star restaurant, “LaCroix,” plus a family membership for 4 to The Franklin Institute. There are still plenty of tickets available for the fourth and final destination on the current tour, which concludes its eight-month run at The Franklin Institute on September 30, 2007.
"From the beginning, we were confident this exhibition would engage a wide cross section of the population, bringing together people of all ages, genders and ethnicities by bridging science with history and art," stated Dennis Wint, President & CEO of The Franklin Institute. “The attendance numbers are a testament to the broad appeal of this exhibition."
Helping to bolster summertime attendance is "Tut After Dark," where visitors can view the exhibition from 6 p.m. until closing. "Tut After Dark" includes a $25 Golden Ticket that allows admission through a special golden entrance to both the IMAX film “Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs" and the King Tut exhibition. Each Friday evening, there will be music, a cash bar and special star programming on the Fels Planetarium dome until 9 p.m.
Solidifying its place in Philadelphia's history, the King Tut exhibition broke previous records in March, 2007, when it became the most well attended museum exhibition in the city's history with more than 616,000 tickets sold or reserved since going on sale on November 8, 2006. Since opening in June 2005, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" has drawn more than 3.6 million visitors, setting records in each city it has visited, including Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Chicago.
The exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Mellon Financial Corporation is the presenting sponsor and PECO is the associate sponsor in Philadelphia. The exhibition is supported by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Tutankhamun was one of the last kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty and ruled during a crucial, turmoil-filled period of Egyptian history. The boy king died under mysterious circumstances around age 18 or 19 in the ninth year of his reign (1323 B.C.).
“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” offers glimpses of that evolving period. On display are 50 of Tutankhamun’s burial objects including his royal diadem — the gold crown discovered encircling the head of his mummified body that he likely wore as king — and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs.
More than 70 additional objects from tombs of 18th Dynasty royals as well as several non-royal individuals are also exhibited. These stone, faience and wooden pieces from burial sites before Tut’s reign give visitors a sense of what the lost burials of other royalty and commoners may have been like.
The audio tour that accompanies the exhibit was developed by the exhibition’s curatorial team and recorded by native Egyptian and film star Omar Sharif. The Spanish version was recorded by Univision anchor Jorge Ramos.
Individual tickets for “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” range from $17.50 to $32.50. -- www2.fi.edu
