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A historic parade of 22 mummies of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, including Ramses II, solemnly led these legendary kings and queens this Saturday to their new home, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC).
Under high police surveillance, the “Golden Parade” of the pharaohs, aboard vehicles that imitated the funeral cars of the time, crossed in about 30 minutes the seven kilometers that separate Tahrir Square, where the Cairo museum is located. , and the new royal home, the NMEC.
Both Tahrir Square, recently decorated with an ancient obelisk and four goat-headed sphinxes, and its surroundings were closed “to vehicles and pedestrians,” according to the Interior Ministry.
Upon arrival, the kings and queens were greeted with 21 cannon shots by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi.
The Egyptians had to follow through state television the parade of the 18 kings and 4 queens, which featured a carefully choreographed opening ceremony.
In addition to television, it was broadcast live on Twitter, with the hashtag #convoy_de las_momias_reales in Arabic, and became a worldwide trend.
“This great show is one more proof of greatness […] of a unique civilization that reaches the depths of history, “the Egyptian president declared on Twitter.
In chronological order, Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa (16th century BC), nicknamed “the brave one”, opened the procession, closed by Ramses IX (12th century BC). Among the most famous mummies are those of Hatshepsut and Ramses II.
Bathed in blue light, the procession left the centennial museum, accompanied by extras dressed in pharaonic costumes, in horse-drawn carts, to the beat of the drums of a marching band and with symphonic music in the background.
Shortly before the start of the parade, the famous Egyptian singer Mohamed Munir performed a song composed for the occasion. Several actors, such as the Egyptians Ahmed Zaki and Mona Zaki and the Tunisian Hend Sabry, recited texts about Egyptian civilization.
In total, 60 motorcycles, 150 horses, 330 extras (sports students), 150 musicians and 150 percussionists from the Defense Ministry participated in the event, according to authorities.
The NMEC, which occupies a large building south of Cairo, partially opened in 2017, will open its doors on April 4. But the mummies won’t be on public display until April 18.
The culmination
UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, who witnessed the parade, said in a statement that the transfer of the mummies to NMEC was “the culmination of a long effort to preserve and display them better.”
“The history of Egyptian civilization is parading before our eyes,” added the leader of the UN organization, which participated in the creation of the NMEC.
Discovered near Luxor (south) starting in 1881, most of the 22 mummies had not left Tahrir Square since the early 20th century.
Since the 1950s, they have been exhibited in a small room, without clear museographic explanations.
The mummies were transferred, each one, inside a special tank, bearing the sovereign’s name, and provided with shock absorption mechanisms, in a nitrogen-containing envelope to preserve them.
At NMEC, they will be exhibited in more modern drawers “for better temperature and humidity control than in the old museum,” explained Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo, a specialist in mummification.
They will be presented individually together with their sarcophagi, in a setting reminiscent of the underground tombs of the kings, with a biography and objects related to the sovereigns.
Curse of the pharaohs
After years of political instability linked to the popular revolt of 2011, which dealt a severe blow to tourism, Egypt is seeking to return visitors, in particular by promoting culture.
In addition to the NMEC, Egypt is due to inaugurate in a few months the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids of Giza, which will house pharaonic collections.
According to Walid al Batuti, advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, the parade “shows that after thousands of years, Egypt retains great respect for its leaders,” he told the public channel Nile TV International.
The grand parade, announced by authorities through online videos, caused a sensation on social media.
Under the hashtag in Arabic # maldición_de_faraones, many Internet users associated the recent catastrophes in Egypt with a “curse” that would have been caused by the displacement of mummies.
Within a week, Egypt experienced the blockage of the Suez Canal by a container ship, a train accident that caused 18 deaths in Sohag (south) and the collapse of a building in Cairo that killed at least 25 people.
The “curse of the pharaoh” had already been evoked in the 1920s after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, followed by the deaths considered mysterious by members of the team of archaeologists.
