The priceless 3,300-year-old burial mask of Tutankhamun, arguably one of the most prized artefacts in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, was irreversibly damaged last year when the beard fell off and was hastily glued back on.

According to the Associated Press, museum officials have admitted that the famous gold-and-blue braided beard had come off the priceless mask, though reports differ on whether it was intentionally removed to reduce damage or fell off in the process.

However, when confronted with the removed beard, everyone agrees that orders came from above to fix it quickly, and in their haste to reaffix the goatee, the wrong type of glue was used.

One of the men responsible for the repair job, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of professional reprisals, said the irreversible glue “has a very high property for attaching and is used on metal or stone, but I think it wasn’t suitable for an outstanding object like Tutankhamun’s golden mask.”

The repair job [BBC]

In the rush to get one of the most celebrated pieces of ancient Egyptian antiquities back on display, the group used the quick-drying glue, and then realising their mistake, attempted to scrape it off with a spatula.

The mask has been left with permanent scratch marks, and according to museum officials, “there’s now an obvious crack in Tutankhamun’s mask between the face and beard.”

“You can see a layer of transparent yellow,” they added.

An official investigation is underway.