We all know that the ancient Egyptian civilization, with its pyramids and mummies, left behind many unanswered mysteries. Scientists, archaeologists, and even the media and press also spend a lot of money and effort to learn about those thousand-year-old mysteries. In addition to the things that have been clarified, there are still countless unexplained mysteries. And one of them is the curse of the Egyptian Pharaohs and the scariest curse comes from Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Many mysterious deaths or disasters involving people involved in the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb have made many people believe in Tutankhamun’s curse.

Pharaoh Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut, was the youngest Pharaoh in ancient Egyptian history. He was born around 1341 BC (BC) in the Ankhetalen region (Tell el Amarna in present-day Egypt).

Tutankhamun was the last of the royal family to reign at the end of the 19th Dynasty during the Egyptian New Kingdom (which lasted from the mid-16th century BC to the 11th century BC). Historical documents say that Pharaoh Tutankhamun ascended the throne in 1332 BC when he was only 9 years old. His reign is considered the golden age, the most brilliant development of all Pharaoh dynasties. In 1323 BC, when he was just 18 years old, this Pharaoh suddenly died mysteriously.

Journey to find King Tut’s tomb
In 1891, famous British archaeologist Howard Carter decided to go to Egypt to find the whereabouts of Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb thanks to funding from the wealthy Earl of Carnarvon. During 5 years of diligent searching, he always returned with a shake of his head and an empty number.

Earl Carnarvon was the financial supporter of the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

In 1922, the Earl of Carnarvon wanted Carter to return to England to ask him to abandon the search and expressed his great disappointment at the money he had spent. At this time, Mr. Carter still maintained his belief and tried to convince the Earl to support him and luckily received the nod. Carter returned to Egypt with a canary in the hope that this bird’s sixth sense would find the mummy of King Tutankhamun.

“A golden bird. It will lead us to the tomb,” Reis Ahmed, a member of Mr. Carter’s search team, declared. And a real miracle happened.

On November 4, 1922, a member of Carter’s group discovered steps dug deep into the ground. These steps have been filled with soil and stone. After digging down, they found 15 more stairs leading to an ancient door that was still sealed, with the name Tutankhamun written on the door.

King Tutankhamun’s coffin when found.

After pushing open the tomb door, the archaeological team was shocked to see gold, countless gold and silver treasures and exquisite coffins. They also discovered a stone sarcophagus containing a solid gold coffin containing King Tut’s mummy. Above the coffin is a clay stele with the words: “Whoever it is, if he disturbs King Tutankhamun’s sleep, he must die.”

Despite the warnings, Mr. Howard Carter and his colleagues are still determined to give humanity the most accurate answers about the ancient world. (Later, it was also reported that Mr. Carter himself covered up the warning text so that his colleagues and digging workers would not be mentally intimidated and could concentrate on their work).

After this discovery, Mr. Carter immediately sent a telegram to the Earl of Carnarvon, inviting him to Egypt to witness firsthand the results of the search and prove to the Earl of Carnarvon that he had not invested in vain. Of course, the Earl of Carnarvon did not hesitate to come and see.

Not just Carter, nor just the Earl of Carnarvon, but all 22 people involved in the search when opening the door to the tomb was an important event in their lives. They also didn’t care about the warning words on the coffin anymore…

Coincidence or terrible curse for “blasphemers”?
On May 4, 1923, Earl Carnarvon suddenly passed away after setting foot in the tomb (he was 57 years old). The Earl of Carnarvon died from blood poisoning, resulting from an infected wound caused by… a mosquito bite. This insect bite caused him to get acute pneumonia and die. Later, the mummy’s examiner said that there was a scar on the left cheek of the mummy unearthed in the tomb that was identical to the insect bite that killed Earl Carnarvon.

The Earl of Carnarvon’s father also jumped to his death in London. It is said that he placed Tutankhamun’s vase in his bedroom.

George Jay Gould I, an American financier, suddenly developed a fever after a visit to Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1923. A few months later, he died of pneumonia.

Archibald Douglas-Reid, the man who X-rayed the mummy of pharaoh Tutankhamun, fell ill immediately after entering the tomb and died on January 15, 1924 from a mysterious illness.
More thrilling is the case of Hugh Evelyn-White, who specialized in researching Egyptian history and was one of the first people present at Tutankhamun’s tomb, hanging himself in 1924. He left a note. He wrote in blood saying: “I succumbed to the curse that forced me to disappear forever.”

In addition to the strange deaths of members of the archaeological team, there was also the curator of the Cairo Museum in Egypt, Miguel Mehrer. He did not care about the “curse” of the Pharaoh that the press at that time widely reported, and said that he had been “attached” all his life to the tombs in Egypt, all of which were just rumors. But less than four weeks after Mr. Miguel said this, he died of a heart attack.

The scariest is the case of Bruce Ingham. He was given a paperweight by Howard Carter, the first person to open Tutankhamun’s coffin, which was believed to be a mummy’s hand wearing a bracelet with the words: “Whoever touches my body will be cursed.” Some time after receiving the strange gift, Ingham’s house burned down in a fire. While rebuilding, the house was swept away by a flood.

In 1966, the French side asked Egypt to transport the treasure unearthed in Tutankhamun’s tomb to Paris for exhibition. The Egyptian side agreed, but supervisor Muhammad Abraham had a strange dream at night, saying that if cultural relics were transported out of Egypt, his life would be in danger. Therefore, he tried his best to request the cancellation of the exhibition but to no avail.

Then, in 1972, two men mysteriously died after transporting the Pharaoh’s mummy from Cairo to London even though their health condition was completely normal before.

Scientific hypotheses
There are two scientific theories about mysterious deaths related to King Tut’s tomb:

First: Special magnetic field

Some scientists believe that the so-called Pharaoh’s curse is actually the special architectural structure of the tomb.

Tutankhamun’s unique tomb design created a type of magnetic field or energy wave that could kill those who entered. However, that is completely unreasonable given the scientific and technological level of the ancient Egyptians at that time. How did they have such superior construction technology, completely surpassing the level of civilization at that time? So there is another doubt about whether the pyramids were built by humans or not.

Second: Presence of deadly bacteria

Compared to the first hypothesis, this second hypothesis is more reliable. According to National Geographic, a theory has been put forward about the cause of Mr. Herbert’s death. This theory holds that the 5th Earl of Carnarvon died from exposure to an ancient pathogen hidden in Tutankhamun’s coffin.

“Inside Egyptian tombs there are not only mummies but also many other things such as meat, plants or even fruits that are buried with the dead when they go to the afterlife. These things attract insects. , mold, bacteria, pathogens… and the truth is that they can exist for thousands of years,” said Jennifer Wegner, an Egyptologist at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Many studies show that some ancient mummies have mold including at least two extremely toxic types: Aspergillus Niger and Aspergillus Flavus. They can cause allergic reactions such as congestion or bleeding in the lungs and are especially harmful to people with weakened immune systems. Some walls in the tomb also have bacteria that attack the respiratory tract such as Pseudomonas or Staphylococcus.

Scientists also detected ammonia gas, formaldehyde organic matter and hydrogen sulfide gas in the sealed coffin. In strong concentrations, they can cause burning eyes, nose, and symptoms of pneumonia. Severe cases can lead to death.

One discovery in Egyptian tombs is that many bats live inside them. Bat guano also carries fungi that can cause respiratory disease. Under the right conditions, the above substances can be deadly.

Egyptologist Wegner believes that the fact that archaeologists do not wear masks or protective equipment when entering tombs, even when opening coffins, can lead to death. This may be the reason why many people get infected and die mysteriously. Besides, cases of suicide or fire believed to be related to the mummy curse may just be a coincidence.