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It is 3,341 years since Tutankhamun was laid to rest in one of the most opulent tombs ever crafted by human hands.

The gilded wood walls dotted with blue porcelain, giant casket, and 16-foot shrine lay undetected until British archaeologist Howard Carter found it in 1922.

Since then, billions have flocked to visit the 19-year-old ruler's resting place in Egypt's Valley Of The Kings - and the delicate chamber is starting to crumble.

Recreation: Designers, scientists and historians have worked for years using these 3D scanners to create exact replicas of the 19-year-old ruler's resting place

In a desperate bid to protect the famous tomb, an exact replica has been built almost next door in the southern city of Luxor.

A multinational team of scientists and historians have worked for years mocking up every detail with high-tech 3D scanners.

It is hoped visitors will go to see the replica instead of causing further damage to the original, which could well be closed to the public eventually.

Without falsely ageing the chamber, the team insists it will feel authentic.

'I want people to come in and actually say, "My goodness, I can't tell the difference!",' Adam Lowe, the British head of Madrid-based company Factum Lowe which is leading the project, told the Financial Times.

The original: This is Tutankhamun's mummified body in its original casket surrounded by painted and gilded wood walls that have survived 3,341 years

Replica: The team, backed by a multinational team of museums, has worked for years to reconstruct the tomb in the hope that they can close the original

It will have exactly the same floor, ceiling, walls, gate, lights, sarcophagus and lid.

Scientists are also working to ensure the temperature is the same - but have had to wait until visitors started to arrive to accurately calculate the humidity.

He added: 'The most important thing is really sound.

'We have tried to ensure that the acoustics are similar - I have an acoustic archaeologist in my team - but this area of work needs more attention.'

In a hall between the burial chamber and an antechamber hang photos and explanations of the discovery of the tomb and its treasures.

The original casket (left) was intricately designed by Egyptians in 1327 for their revered 19-year-old leader, and has now been replicated exactly in similar material (right)

Here, the first panels of the facsimile are erected in the underground chamber prepared near Carter House in the US by a multinational team of museums

The fascination with Carter's story and the perpetual promise of more discoveries has seen tourists pouring into the sun-drenched site although there has been a significant dip in tourism this year as the country has suffered from ongoing political protests.

Lowe, is hopeful that the replica will become as popular as the original as visitors 'become part of the force that protects it [the original] rather than a force that is leading to its destruction.'

He told the BBC: 'They will have the thrill of visiting something they know is 3,000 years old and they have the guilt of knowing, as they look at it, that their presence is part of the reason why it won't be there in another 100 years' time.'