Mummies on the move
Egypt parades Pharaonic heritage as royalty heads to new museum
Egypt held a gala parade yesterday celebrating the transport of 22 of its prized royal mummies from central Cairo to their new resting place in a massive new museum further south in the capital.
The ceremony, designed to showcase the country’s rich heritage, snaked along the Nile from the Egyptian Museum to the newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in the Fustat neighbourhood, where Egypt’s first Islamic capital was.
The mummies were transported in climate-controlled cases loaded onto trucks decorated with wings and pharaonic design for the hour-long journey. The vehicles were designed to look like the ancient boats used to carry dead pharaohs to their tombs.
Most of the mummies belong to the New Kingdom, which ruled Egypt between 1539BC to 1075BC, according to the Ministry of Antiquities.
They include Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs, and Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only woman Pharaoh — who wore a false beard to overcome tradition requiring women to play only secondary roles in the royal hierarchy.
The mummies — 18 pharaohs and four other royals — were buried around 3000 years ago in secret tombs near the southern city of Luxor. The tombs were first excavated in the 19th century.
The made-for-tv parade was part of Egypt’s efforts to attract foreign tourists by publicising its ancient artifacts. The tourism industry has been reeling from political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
Security was tight, with authorities closing off major streets and intersections along the route for the slow-moving vehicles. Guards on horses and Egyptian celebrities and singers followed the motorcade.
“Again, Egypt dazzles the world with an unrivalled event,” said movie star Hussein Fahmy in an official promotional video.
The “Pharaohs’ Golden Parade” circled Tahrir square, where authorities officially unveiled an obelisk and four sphinxes to decorate Cairo’s most famous square.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah elsissi, who will welcome the mummies at the new museum, tweeted: “This majestic scene is a new evidence of the greatness of this people, the guarding of this unique civilisation that extends into the depths of history.”
Once at the new museum, 20 of the mummies will be displayed, while the remaining two will be stored, according to the ministry.