Take 22 Egyptian mummies in a magnificent parade – VG

The royal mummies, which have so far been housed in the Egyptian Museum, will be transported around the city in specially made capsules to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, writes the Al Jazeera television channel.

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass says the capsules will be filled with nitrogen to ensure that the royal mummies are not damaged and that they lie in carriages designed to give them stability during the journey.

Most of the mummies that are moved on Saturday are pharaohs from the era known as the New Kingdom.

This era lasted from 1550 to 1069 BC. C., according to Store Norske Leksikon, a period in which Egypt became one of the most important great powers in the Middle East.

The mummies are transported seven kilometers through the Egyptian capital in what is known as the “Golden Parade of the Pharaohs.”

– We chose the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization because we want, for the first time, to show them in a civilized, polite way, and not for entertainment as they were in the Egyptian Museum, says Hawass.

Move Ramses the Great

The mummies will move in chronological order.

The oldest mummy in the parade is Sekenenra Tao, he was the last king of the 17th Dynasty, the pre-New Kingdom era, and ruled southern Egypt about 3,600 years ago.

It was from 1871 that the mummies were found in two rounds in the Dayr al-Bahri tomb temple complex located near the Valley of the Kings.

The parade includes the mighty Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, in addition to the pharaohs Seti I and Ahmose-Nefertari.

Security forces are closely following the special event, NTB writes.

– By doing so, with great pomp and splendor, these mummies get what they deserve, says Egyptologist Salima Ikram of the American University of Cairo.

She adds:

– These are the kings of Egypt – these are the pharaohs. And this is a way of showing respect.