100 years after tomb discovery, The legacy Of King Tut endures Transcript

We end tonight with a worldwide sensation. It was 100 years ago this month that the tomb of Tutankhamen was unearthed in Egypt. Here’s Imtiaz Tyab.

It is the immortal face of the boy king, Tutankhamen whose treasures remained hidden in the sand for over 3000 years, until this moment, one century ago when a stairwell led British Egyptologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, to one of the greatest archeological discoveries ever.

Whose coffin of solid gold reflects the genius of unknown craftsman.

Tutankhamen was only nine years old when he ascended the throne to rule during the 18th Dynasty in ancient Egypt. But after just 10 years on the throne, he was dead and buried in the Valley of Kings in a tomb filled with gold, jewels, and works of art crammed into these tiny chambers. Dr. Salima Ikram is professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.

And some scholars have recently questioned the fact that maybe Tutankhamen’s tomb has not been completely excavated, that perhaps behind the burial chamber lies a second chamber that has not been found yet

A tantalizing mystery that will only fuel the 100 years of fascination that surrounds King Tut as he’s now become known. Over the decades, his riches have been put on display in museums around the world as people of all ages and walks of life marvel at Egypt’s ancient and deeply sophisticated past

Tutankhamen is the only pharaoh who has sustained and looked after his country beyond his reign because he has been the gift that keeps on giving. So really, he’s the one true pharaoh of Egypt who has been loyal to his country for several thousand years.

Archeologists believe Tutankhamen’s successors tried to erase his record from history, but the discovery of his tomb one century ago has given the boy king an immortality unimaginable at the time of his death. Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, London.