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There is about half a mile between the two museums between which the remains of the pharaohs were taken. The procession followed a chronological order. The oldest pharaoh, Sekenenre Taa II, who ruled Egypt 3,600 years ago, was the first to be threatened.
The measure, called Golden Parade, began on Saturday night, after a concert to celebrate the event. In addition to the many spectators who wanted to follow the parade, the security arrangements were extensive.
The ornate carriages had a specially constructed suspension to protect the mummies from impact. The actual remains were encapsulated in nitrogen gas containers.
The Valley of the Kings
Almost all mummified kingdoms originate from an Egyptian era often called the New Kingdom in history books (around 1550-1070 BC).
The move went from the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in the Fustat district.
“We chose the Museum of Civilization because for the first time we wanted to display mummies in a civilized way, for educational purposes and not for entertainment, as is the case with the Egyptian Museum,” says Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass.
This is not the first trip of the 22 mummies. They were found in two rounds in cemeteries in the Luxor area, including in the Valley of the Kings, which is located about 50 km south of Cairo.
Honor the mummies
Also in the parade were the historic Pharaoh Ramses II and Queen Ahmose-Nefertari.
– By doing this with pomp and circumstance, we honor mummies. These are the kings of Egypt, these are the pharaohs, and this is a way of showing respect, says Egyptologist Salima Ikram of the American University of Cairo.
Immediately after arriving at NMEC, the mummies will spend a couple of weeks in the lab. They will then be exhibited in a special room for mummies, which is designed to resemble the Valley of the Kings, writes the British public service channel BBC.
