Since it entered Cairo's Egyptian Museum in the early 1920s, Tutankhamun's golden mask has only left once: for a world tour in 1972. Now it is on the move again, albeit just a few rooms away.

The start of the restoration process of King Tutankhamun's world-famous golden mask began on Saturday night, over a year after the beard was accidentally broken off and hastily glued back with epoxy.

I'm sure you could have heard a pin drop as the mask was gingerly lifted from its glass display case; especially considering what happened the last time someone touched it. Dr Yasmin El Shazly, Assistant to the Minister of Antiquities for Museums Affairs said, "The transportation process was like a surgical operation."

In August 2014, the mask's braided beard was hastily (and messily!) glued back on with epoxy after it was knocked off when it was mishandled during work on the display case's lighting. They were changing a bulb.

Saturday night, Tutankhamun's mask was carefully wrapped in foam and moved to Room 55, which has been fitted out as a restoration laboratory. For those familiar with the Egyptian Museum, this is on the second floor, on the front, right-hand-side of the building - next to the Royal Mummy Room.

Shortly after the botched reattachment came to light, German restoration specialist Christian Eckmann, was flown to Cairo to examine the mask. He announced that the epoxy could be removed and the mask properly restored. The first part of the process will be a CT-scan to get to know the 3,300-year-old relic inside and out.

Tarek Tawfik, director of the Grand Egyptian Museum says no deadline has been imposed on the project but expressed his hope that it will be completed soon. It's no wonder: Tutankhamun's mask is the Egyptian Museum number one must-see.

This photo was taken in 2010 by Kenneth Garrett.