King Tut's chariot leaves Egypt

Egypt's King Tutankhamun's chariot is to leave the country for the first time to go on display in New York next week.

Egypt's King Tutankhamun's chariot is to go on display in New York.

The chariot - owned by the royal over 3,300 years ago - is believed to be the one that Tutankhamun fell from during a hunting trip, which resulted in his death.

After leaving Egypt for the first time next week, it will be displayed at the Discovery Times Square Exposition.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, said: "As we discover more about Tutankhamun's death, we may find that this very chariot is an important piece of the puzzle that we've been working for decades to solve.

"This is the first time that the chariot will travel outside Egypt. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the people of New York to see something of such great significance from the boy king's life."

The story of King Tut achieved worldwide fame when his tomb was opened by British explorer Howard Carter in 1922, and amazingly found to be virtually intact.

A CT scan of his remains in 2005 led researchers to refute previous claims that he had been murdered, and the 19-year-old monarch is now believed to have died of complications which arose from breaking his leg.

The chariot was found by Carter among the king's burial equipment in the south-east corner of his tomb's antechamber.