Egyptian mummies pass through Cairo in parade of ancient rulers

Egypt held a gala parade on Saturday (local time) to celebrate the transport of 22 of its prized royal mummies from downtown Cairo to their new resting place in a huge new museum further south of the capital.

The ceremony, designed to showcase the country’s rich heritage, meandered along the Nile ledge from the Egyptian Museum overlooking Tahrir Square to the newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in the Fustat neighborhood, where it was located. the first Islamic capital of Egypt.

The mummies were being transported in climate-controlled boxes loaded onto trucks decorated with wings and pharaonic design for the hour-long journey from their previous home in the ancient Egyptian Museum. The vehicles were designed to resemble the ancient ships that were used to carry deceased pharaohs to their graves.

Most of the mummies belong to the New Kingdom, which ruled Egypt from 1539 BC. Until 1075 a. C., according to the Ministry of Antiquities.

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Among them are Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs, and Queen Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh of Egypt, who wore a false beard to overcome the tradition that requires women to play only secondary roles in the royal hierarchy.

The mummies, 18 pharaohs and four other royals, were originally buried some 3,000 years ago in secret tombs in the Valley of the Kings and at the nearby site of Deir el-Bahri. Both areas are close to the southern city of Luxor. The tombs were first excavated in the 19th century.

After the excavation, the mummies were brought to Cairo on ships that sailed the Nile. Some were displayed in display cases, while others were stored. The remains of Ramses II were brought to Paris in 1976 for intensive restoration work by French scientists.

The parade made for television was part of Egypt’s efforts to attract foreign tourists by advertising its ancient artifacts. The tourism industry has been recovering from the political turmoil following the popular uprising of 2011 that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

“This parade is a unique global event that will not be repeated,” declared the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled el-Anany.

Security was tight in the capital, and authorities closed the main streets and intersections along the route for slow vehicles. Horse guards and Egyptian celebrities and signers followed the caravan.

“Egypt once again dazzles the world with an event like no other,” said film star Hussein Fahmy in an official promotional video.

The event began in the late afternoon and was broadcast live on the country’s state television and other satellite stations. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities also broadcast it live on social media platforms.

The “Golden Parade of the Pharaohs” surrounded Tahrir Square, where the authorities officially unveiled an obelisk and four sphinxes to decorate the most famous square in Cairo.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who will welcome the mummies in the new museum, tweeted: “This majestic scene is new evidence of the greatness of this people, the custody of this unique civilization that spans the depths of history “.

Once in the new museum, 20 of the mummies will be exhibited, while the remaining two will be stored, according to the ministry.