Egyptian museum under fire over 3000-yr-old Tutankhamun's beard being glued back on

Egypt has reportedly ordered enquiry against a museum after 3000-year-old Tutankhamun's blue and gold braided beard was glued back on its mask.

But conservators at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo gave differing accounts of the exact circumstances, so it was not clear whether the mask was damaged during cleaning or if the beard was removed because it was loose, the BBC reported.

The BBC's Orla Guerin, who has seen the mask, said that a glue-like substance was visible along the join between the beard and the rest of the mask. The two pieces were made separately and have always been fixed together.

The 3,000-year-old artifact, with other relics from the boy king's tomb, is among Cairo's biggest attractions.

Conservators stated that instead of being taken to a conservation lab, the repair was performed quickly to put the mask back on display.

The director of the Egyptian Museum, Mahmoud Al Hawagi, confirmed that a translucent adhesive material had appeared on the burial mask.

The ministry of antiquities was now investigating how this happened, he further added.