Golden Pharaoh parade broadcast on 200+ global channels

The remains of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only female Pharoah was part of the golden parade alongside 21 other royal mummies, making their way to the country’s new national museum. 

22 Pharoah made a slow procession through the streets of Cairo in a highly televised global event. The spectacular sight of ancient royal remains moved from Egypt’s Museum in Tahrir Square to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat. 

Khaled el-Anany, Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister described the parade as a “unique global event” that “will not be repeated.” The event marked the much-awaited official launch of  NMEC. 

Also read: Golden-tongued mummies discovered near Alexandria

It all began with a 21-gun salute carrying the remains of 18 kings and four queens moved in order of age on gold-colored pharaonic carriages with vibration-absorbent suspensions to ensure none of the artifacts is interfered with. The golden cases bore the names of their occupants in English, Arabic, and hieroglyphics. 

Also read: The Ever Given, the cargo ship blocking the Suez Canal, has been freed

At the helm was Seqenenre Tao II, who ruled Upper Egypt from 1,600 BCE followed by Ramses IX who ruled during 12 BCE. All storage chambers met international artifact preservation standards and were placed in nitrogen-filled display cases that guaranteed their pristine condition. 

Security across the capital was tight, with several streets and intersections, closed off for vehicles. Behind the royal procession was a motorcade of 60 motorcycles, 150 guards on horses, and a pharaonic music ensemble performed by Nader Abbassi, a renowned musician.  After circling the obelisk at Tahrir Square, the procession advanced along the Nile to NMEC where Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi personally welcomed them to their new home. He also shared a tweet that hailed the “greatness of this people.”

بكل الفخر والاعتزاز أتطلع لاستقبال ملوك وملكات مصر بعد رحلتهم من المتحف المصري بالتحرير إلى المتحف القومي للحضارة المصرية. إن هذا المشهد المهيب لدليل جديد على عظمة هذا الشعب الحارس على هذه الحضارة الفريدة الممتدة في أعماق التاريخ.١/٢

— Abdelfattah Elsisi (@AlsisiOfficial) April 3, 2021

As some of Egypt’s most treasured artifacts, they will spend the next two weeks in an NMEC laboratory awaiting installation inside the Royal Mummies Hall. In an event coinciding with World Heritage Day on April 18, The Royal Mummies Hall will publicly open to visitors. 

Also read: Egypt publicly displays dozens of mummy coffins dating thousands of years

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

NMEC will offer a 50 percent discount on entry prices at the Central Exhibition Hall visitors between April 4 to 17. Representatives at local and international media stations had the opportunity to film and photograph artifacts inside the Central Exhibition Hall from April 4 to 5. NMEC is located in the historic city of Fuscat, with a raised view of Ain Al Sira, close to the Babylon Fortress. 

Also read: Egypt's new highways draw ire as they pass through the pyramid plateau

Tourism sector

Since the popular 2011 uprising, the Egyptian tourism sector has never fully recovered. The situation was improving until the covid-19 pandemic grounded international travel and movement. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has led a magnanimous showcase of the country’s new archeological discoveries and inventions over the past years, in an effort to draw in more visitors and interest to Egypt. 

Egypt’s Pharaohs Golden Parade tops the worldwide Twitter trend.#Egypt #AncientEgypt #History #Egyptology #Pharaoh #ThisIsEgypt #thePharoahsGoldenParade | #موكب_المومياوات_الملكية #المتحف_المصري pic.twitter.com/ZJ5vh1qi6z

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) April 4, 2021