Golden Eye and glowing Tower celebrate Egypt

Some of the capital's most famous landmarks are being bathed in golden light to mark the opening of the Tutankhamun exhibition.

The Tower of London, the London Eye, Wellington Arch and the O2 are getting the Midas treatment every night until Friday.

Tutankhamun And The Golden Age Of The Pharaohs, which opens at the former Dome on Thursday, is the first time the Egyptian boy king's treasures have returned to Britain since 1972 when they attracted more than 1.6 million visitors to an exhibition.

Ann Wilson, head of sales at the Tower of London, said: "The Tower is a well-known building that is recognised worldwide, so in addition to its own role as a leading tourist attraction and World Heritage Site, these types of lighting projects are an interesting and contemporary way of engaging with the cultural life of London."

It is not the first time London landmarks have been lit up as a marketing tool, although this light show is seen as somewhat more stylish than such stunts as the projection of a naked Gail Porter on to the Houses of Parliament in 1999 for a lads' magazine.

The lavish nature of this week's promotional effort underlines the fact that much faith is being placed in the exhibition as a major tourist attraction for London.

James Bidwell, chief executive of Visit London, said: "2006 was a record year for overseas visitors to London and great exhibitions like Tutankhamun add to the spectacular range of visitor experiences the capital has to offer. A blockbuster attraction of this scale is a great opportunity for London, and we are delighted to be the exclusive European city to host this exhibition."

The Tutankhamun exhibition, which includes more than 130 ancient treasures, runs from Thursday until 30 August next year.

So far more than 325,000 tickets have been sold or reserved.