Egypt's Antiquities Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday the coffin suffers from several forms of damage, including cracks in its gold layers. The restoration and maintenance of the coffin will require eight months.

The ministry said King Tut's collection, including all his coffins, will be put on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is under construction near the Giza Pyramids and is due to open in 2020.

In January, conservators completed a decade-long restoration of the pharaoh's tomb, discovered near Luxor in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.

King Tut was nine years old when he became an Egyptian pharaoh and ruled between 1333 and 1323 BC as one of the last kings of the 18th Dynasty.

Egypt has in recent months announced a series of ancient discoveries in the hope of reviving its battered tourism industry, a main source of national income.

The industry has been hard hit by widespread unrest since the 2011 uprising against Egypt's long-time ruler Hosny Mubarak.

Australian Associated Press