THIS WEEK sees the start of an event that has been billed "the greatest comeback tour in 3,000 years."

Almost 350,000 tickets have been sold for the most eagerly-anticipated exhibition of the year - and organisers confidently expect the number of visitors to Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs to exceed the record-breaking 1.6 million that flocked to London 35 years ago for the famous British Museum display.

Only seven of the 1972 exhibits are among the 130 or so on show at the O2 Bubble and Arena inside the former Millennium Dome.

Around 50 were recovered from Tutankhamun's tomb, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, while the remainder relate to his predecessors, including a spectacular coffin, almost 7ft long, gilded with red gold and inlaid with obsidian, alabaster and glass, the final resting place of the Boy King's great-grandmother, Tjuya.

Other highlights include an 18in coffinette (similar in design to the death mask, too delicate to be moved from Egypt) that once contained the king's mummified organs; the golden diadem, still around Tutankhamun's head when Carter opened the tomb; plus mannequins, pottery, mirror cases, statuettes, busts, daggers and a shrine.

The craftsmanship is astonishing, and the beautiful artefacts are amazingly well preserved and atmospheric - unlike the fake columns and piped music accompanying the exhibition, which runs until the end of August 2008.

At the press preview I attended, Dr John Taylor, an Egyptian expert from the British Museum, said the scale of the landmark show, and quality of the displays, meant there had been nothing like this in the UK for 35 years.

"A number of professional Egyptologists say the 1972 show set them off on their careers - one hopes this might lead more people to do the same."

Terry Garcia, of National Geographic Society, said that for more than 100 years his organisation had covered the entire world, "but, for our readers and viewers, nothing compares in popularity to Ancient Egypt."

The exhibition is housed in 12 galleries over two floors. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have already enjoyed an hour-long visit - and millions more look set to see the treasures over the next year.

And, for the first time, funds raised from an overseas exhibition will be used to conserve, protect and explore Egypt's cultural heritage.

  • For more information, visit kingtut.org or visitlondon.com/tut