King Tut (Photo Credit:) By JonBodsworth - http://www.egyptarchive.co.uk - commons.wikimedia.org.

King Tutankhamun's (Tut) body was slowly removed from his sarcophagus and face revealed the first time on Sunday, Nov 5th, 85 years after British archaeologist Howard Carter found his treasure-filled tomb.

The restoration process which began two years ago, was primarily done to ensure that King Tut's face and what remains of the rest of the body could be preserved forever.

When Howard Carter found the tomb, he nearly destroyed it by using sharp tools to remove Tut's gold mask. Further damage has been caused by the thousands of tourists who visit the tomb every year.

King Tut unmasked (Photo Credit: Discovery.com)

King Tut was not the most powerful or most important ruler in Egypt. But he is one of the most famous and well-known Pharaoh for a number of reasons.

His was the first tomb of its era to be discovered. Also, it was remarkably preserved and contained a treasure trove of gold and precious stones. Added to this, was the rumor of a mysterious "mummy's curse," that befell anyone that came in contact with his tomb.

Now, King Tut lays in a glass case in Luxor, Egypt, his toothy grin permanently affixed to his black leathery face. Hopefully, he will remain preserved for many generations to come.

Sources: bbc.co.uk, nationalgeographic.com