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22 mummies belonging to some kings and queens of ancient Egypt will cross the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday in a procession that has already aroused much emotion among public opinion. The “Golden Parade of the Pharaohs,” which actually means moving the royal remains to a new museum, is feared by many, who blame recent disasters, including the blockade of the Suez Canal, on a curse from the pharaohs. Digi24.ro will broadcast live the parade of the royal mummies.
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The parade of the pharaohs started on Saturday at 7.30pm (Romanian time). 22 royal mummies, including 18 of kings and four of queens, will be transported from the Cairo Museum, where they were housed for more than a century, to the headquarters of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, on a 5-kilometer route.
The mummies will be transported in chronological order, each in a pharaonic-style decorated cart bearing the name of that sovereign. The journey, which will last about 40 minutes, will be carried out under the close supervision of the police.
Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa (16th century BC) of the 17th dynasty will open the procession, which will be closed by Ramses IX (12th century BC) of the 20th dynasty. Better known to the general public, Ramses II and Hatshepsut will also be part of the “golden parade of the pharaohs.”
The curse of the pharaohs
Before the parade, the mummies will be placed in special containers filled with nitrogen. In the new “residence”, the mummies will be kept in more modern boxes. “Temperature and humidity control will be even better than in the old museum,” said Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.
The 22 mummies will be on display to the general public at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization for 15 days after the parade. They will be presented individually with their sarcophagi, in a setting reminiscent of the underground tombs of the kings and will be accompanied by a biography.
In anticipation of Saturday night, the grand parade, heavily promoted by authorities with online videos, caused a sensation on social media.
Using a hashtag in Arabic that translates to “the curse of the pharaohs”, many netizens associated the recent disasters in Egypt with a “curse” that was supposedly caused by the relocation of the mummies of the pharaohs.
In a week, Egypt was hit by the blockade of the Suez Canal by a container ship, a train accident that left 18 dead in Sohag (south) and the death of at least 25 people due to the collapse of a building in Cairo.
Publisher: BP
