The Pharaonic parade of 22 Egyptian mummies in the streets of Cairo

An unprecedented parade of 22 mummies of kings and queens of ancient Egypt, among which are Ramses II and Hatshepsut, was carried out in the streets of Cairo, towards the new home of the pharaohs, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC).

The journey of some seven kilometers between the Cairo Museum, where the mummies have rested for over a century, and the NMEC lasted about 40 minutes and was placed under heavy police surveillance.

So much Tahrir Square, where the historical museum is located and which was recently decorated with an ancient obelisk and four goat-headed sphinxes, because its surroundings were closed “to vehicles and pedestrians”, according to the Interior Ministry.

Egyptians were able to watch the Parade of 18 Kings and Four Queens on state television, which featured a carefully choreographed opening ceremony.

“With great pride, I look forward to welcoming the kings and queens of Egypt after their trip,” Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi said on Twitter.

“This great spectacle is further proof of the greatness […] of a unique civilization that reaches the depths of history, ”he added.

In chronological order, Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa (16th century BC) paved the way, which was to be closed by Ramses IX (12th century BC), all were moved aboard pharaonic style chariots.

Several Egyptian artists participated in the event with musical numbers.

The NMEC, which occupies a large building south of Cairo, partially opened in 2017, will open on April 4. But the mummies won’t be on public display until April 18.

The climax

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who attended the parade, said in a statement Friday that the transfer of the mummies to NMEC was “the culmination of a long job to better preserve and display them”.

“The history of Egyptian civilization unfolds before our eyes,” added the head of the UN organization, which participated in the creation of the NMEC.

Discovered near Luxor (south) from 1881, most of the 22 mummies had not left Tahrir Square since the beginning of the 20th century.

Since the 1950s, they have been exhibited in a small room, without clear museographic explanations.

The mummies were each transported in a special tank, bearing the name of the sovereign, and provided with shock absorption mechanisms, in an envelope containing nitrogen to preserve them.

At the NMEC, they will be displayed in more modern drawers “for better temperature and humidity control than in the old museum”. explains to AFP Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo, specialist in mummification.

They will be presented individually with their sarcophagi, in a setting reminiscent of the underground tombs of kings, with a biography and objects related to the sovereigns.

Curse of the pharaohs

After years of political instability linked to the popular uprising of 2011, which dealt a heavy blow to tourism, Egypt is seeking to return visitors, especially by promoting culture.

In addition to NMEC, Egypt is due to inaugurate in a few months the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the pyramids of Giza, which will house Pharaonic collections.

According to Walid al Batuti, advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, the parade “shows that after thousands of years, Egypt retains great respect for its leaders,” he told the public broadcaster. Nile TV International.

The grand parade, announced by the authorities via online videos, caused a sensation on social networks.

Under the Arabic hashtag # maldición_de_faraones, many Internet users have associated the recent disasters in Egypt with a “curse” that is said to have been caused by the displacement of mummies.

Within a week, Egypt suffered the blockade of the Suez Canal by a container ship, a train crash that killed 18 people in Sohag (south) and a building collapse in Cairo that killed at least 25 people.

The “curse of the pharaoh” had already been mentioned in the 1920s after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, followed by the deaths considered mysterious by members of the team of archaeologists.

By Emmanuel Parisse (AFP)

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