Egyptian mummies to pass through Cairo in ancient rulers' parade
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A grand parade, in what is called The Pharaohs' Golden Parade, will convey 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies -- 18 kings and four queens -- in specially designed capsules across the capital Cairo on Saturday to a new museum home where they can be displayed in greater splendour.
People in Egypt are set to line the streets to witness a procession of their country's ancient rulers through the capital, Cairo.
A grand parade, in what is called The Pharaohs' Golden Parade, will convey 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies -- 18 kings and four queens -- in specially designed capsules across the capital Cairo on Saturday to a new museum home where they can be displayed in greater splendour.
The mummies will be relocated to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation -- in chronological order of their reigns - from the 17th Dynasty ruler, Seqenenre Taa II, to Ramses IX, who reigned in the 12th Century BC.
Authorities are shutting down roads along the Nile for the elaborate ceremony, designed to drum up interest in Egypt’s rich collections of antiquities when tourism has almost entirely stalled because of Covid related restrictions.
Each mummy will be placed in a special capsule filled with nitrogen to ensure protection, and the capsules will be carried on carts designed to cradle them and provide stability, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said.
Archaeologists discovered the mummies in two batches at the complex of mortuary temples of Deir Al Bahari in Luxor and at the nearby Valley of the Kings from 1871.
The oldest is that of Seqenenre Tao, the last king of the 17th Dynasty, who reigned in the 16th century BC and is thought to have met a violent death.
The parade will also include the mummies of Ramses II, Seti I, and Ahmose-Nefertari.
Fustat was the site of Egypt’s capital under the Umayyad dynasty after the Arab conquest.