Carter House

On November 4, 2022, the world celebrated the centenary of the greatest archaeological find ever made, the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter. To mark this great occasion, the American Research Centre in Egypt (ARCE) has conserved his historic house, located in Luxor’s west bank, and commonly known as Carter House. The project at Carter House took place from February 2022 to November 2022 and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Adina Lei Savin Family Trust and done in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA). ARCE hosted a ceremony at Carter House on November 4, 2022, to celebrate its official reopening to the public.

For the occasion of the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, ARCE began the restoration of Carter House through structural work and landscaping. This was paired with the research and development of new visitor information and a renewed, historically accurate, presentation of the house’s interior. Accordingly, repairs were made to address problems caused by water damage to the mudbrick structure of the house and alterations were made to the landscaping to prevent similar damage from occurring in the future. Old, broken subsurface waste pipes from the house were replaced, hedges and trees that were planted too close to the walls were removed, and a ‘water-free’ buffer zone was constructed around the house. 

Considerable effort was also made by ARCE to develop an engaging and representative visitor experience at the house. Following November 4, 2022, visitors to Carter House can enjoy comprehensive and bilingual (Arabic and English) information panels with archival images that contextualize the social and political circumstances surrounding the discovery of the tomb and the many key figures – Egyptian and foreign – that were involved.

You can read more about the project here. Enjoy your tour!