Twenty-two mummified members of ancient Egyptian royalty passed through downtown Cairo in an awe-inspiring parade on Saturday. The event, which drew fanfare to the country’s robust collections of antiquities in an elaborate procession, saw the mummies being relocated from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, about 3 miles away in nearby Fustat.
The spectacle was named The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade and comprised 18 kings and four queens, including some of Egypt’s most prominent rulers of the past. Among them was King Ramses II, one of Egypt’s most famous Pharaohs, who reigned in 12th Century BC. He ruled the New Kingdom for 67 years and was renowned for signing the first known peace treaty, BBC reported.
The carriages carrying 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies depart from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on April 3, 2021, during a parade on their way to their new resting place at the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
The royal figures were transported in vehicles specially rigged to carry the remains and a security motorcade surrounded the convoy. Due to the fragility of the preserved pharaohs, they were placed in nitrogen filled boxes for protection. The roads along the route were even repaved to ensure a smooth relocation.
Officials hope the new museum will be a boon for tourism, a lucrative industry for the country that’s taken a big hit over years of political turmoil and recently, the pandemic, according to BBC.
