325,000 buy tickets for King Tut spectacular

Artefacts from the pharaoh's tomb will go on display at the O2 arena on 15 November - the first time in three decades that they have been seen in Britain.

Among the 130 objects on show will be the young king's gold crown, his knife, and a small gold coffin that once held his embalmed liver.

Up to two million people are expected to pass through the turnstiles by the time Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs closes in August. Most days before Christmas are sold out.

Mark Lach, the exhibition's designer, said: "Sales from the tour are already benefiting conservation work in Egypt and will ensure that the legacy of Tutankhamun continues to be enjoyed.

"His popularity is evident by the number of tickets sold and reserved for the UK exhibition even before it opens - 325,000 tickets is a tour record."

It also means King Tut has beaten the Ter racotta Army. The British Museum's blockbuster exhibition of statues and artefacts from the tomb of China's First Emperor attracted 150,403 advance ticket sales. Interest in the Egyptian show will be boosted further after Tutankhamun's mummified body was put on public display for the first time at the weekend.

Until yesterday only about 50 living people had seen the face of the 19-yearold king, who died more than 3,000 years ago but the mummy has now been placed in a climate-controlled case in his tomb to ensure it remains preserved.

The move was carried out 85 years to the day since British explorer Howard Carter found the body in 1922, in Luxor's Valley of the Kings.

Mr Lach said: "It's incredible visitors to Egypt are now able to see the mummy. That will capture the imagination of another generation as it did in 1972."

Scores of crates containing treasures have already been unpacked for the O2 show. As well as 50 items from the tomb, visitors can see objects from other royal graves in the Valley of the Kings. However the famous gold death mask - the star of the British Museum's 1972 show, which attracted more than 1.6 million people - is not present this time, having been deemed too fragile to travel.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will attend a ceremonial opening of the O2 exhibition on 13 November.