Egypt started work Saturday to remove a crust of dried glue on the beard of legendary boy pharaoh Tutankhamun's golden mask after a botched repair job on the priceless relic.
The beard fell off in an August 2014 accident at the Cairo Museum, leading to the botched repair by employees.
"Tutankhamun's mask has been transferred from its exhibition hall to another room in the museum that has been turned into a restoration laboratory," antiquities department spokeswoman Mushira Mussa said.
She told AFP a German specialist in restoration work on antiquities in glass and metal, Christian Eckmann, was leading the repair team on the beard.
The expert said in January the damage was reversible, although using the glue had "not been the best solution".
