Tutankhamun Immersive Experience

I don’t know if you’ve been following the news, but the new findings in Cairo regarding the Pyramids are a history rewrite. Therefore, it was apt that I booked Tickets for the immersive Tutankhamun exhibition that opened in London.

Thankfully, it was a sunny day and a good day to visit the Royal Victoria Docks and the ExCel Centre, where the immersive experience was held. Eight went midweek, so it was a pleasant experience. I suspect things might be hectic over the weekends.

If you want to read more about the Docks, click on the link below:

https://tabbylondon.com/blog/f/royal-victoria-docks

Timed Tickets

Understandably, tickets were timed because of the sheer number of people visiting the venue but also to make it easier for the visitors because it was dark and hot. If you wish to leave your belongings, there are lockers outside in the main hall. Before heading in, there’s an opportunity to take pictures. We skipped this bit as it was a bit touristy for me.

The first room had the history of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Eight giant notice boards displayed all the information relating to the findings. I found this a bit painful because people were standing and reading without quickly moving on, so bottlenecks started to form.

This would be a huge issue on busy weekends. Could they have displayed the information differently? Probably, but I suspect people would still congregate around whatever is shown because they don’t want to miss anything.

The Treasure Room

After this, we went into the second room filled with artefacts. Again, it was jostling to see the replicas. I wasn’t very impressed with them. I’ve seen better replicas.

The Immersive Room

We then headed to another big room with many seats and were treated to an immersive ancient history lesson. If you’ve been to any significant exhibitions, then you know the drill: Take a seat, sit back, and watch the show for the next 30 minutes. Floating down the River Nile was good.

The VR Headset Experience

We then headed to the VR headset experience. It would have been nice to have known what we were looking at instead of guessing the timeline.

This was my second VR experience, and I had high hopes, especially after the Gun Powder Plot at the Tower of London. I still prefer the Gun Powder Plot because it was tops from the beginning until the end.

The First VR experience saw us emerge from the tomb, which I found eerie and probably not fantastic for those with claustrophobia. We then travelled around the burning city. There was no peace, and everything seemed to be on fire. It took a while for the senses to calm down.

The Mummy-Making Hologram

After that, we headed to the mummification process via Hologram. The process was explained from death until the mummies were placed in the tomb.

Again, we were given another headset to wear. I was expecting something more substantial, but it wasn’t. It was a headset to listen to the process. In this instance, I don’t think headsets were necessary. It was just 10 minutes long.

The Second VR Experience

This was better fun as the staff placed a different VR set on our heads. As we were in pairs, we were transported to another ancient territory in Cairo. It looked like a barn with pottery and other artefacts.

Our job was to walk around and get a feel for what it must have been like at the grassroots level. It took 10 minutes, and then we headed out. I hated it over the weekend and probably wouldn’t have hung around for long. I heard people were queuing for over two hours for this section. Yikes.

Parting Comments

I’ve also been to Cairo and seen the Giant pyramids close up. So, this immersive experience felt more like entertainment rather than educational. I wouldn’t say the experience wowed me, but it was entertaining for 90 minutes. There were two VR experiences and the enjoyable parts, especially the second one.

I didn’t stop to take more pictures at the end. As we walked out of the makeshift gift shop, it was a relief to get fresh air. I would skip the weekends and get an earlier morning slot during the week. Overall, it was an average experience.

Thank you for your attention.

Best wishes as always

Tabby