After a 12-year closure

Egypt: Ramses I's tomb welcomes visitors again

The Valley of the Kings is rich in the tombs of the kings of ancient Egypt. Archives

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reopened the tomb of King Ramses the First, in the Valley of the Kings, which is rich in the tombs of the kings of ancient Egypt, in the Tiba Cemetery, west of Luxor.

"The tomb of King Ramses the First has special historical and archaeological significance, as it is the tomb of the founder of the 19th family in ancient Egypt," said the archaeological director of the Valley of the Kings Antiquities Zone, Ali Reda.

He pointed out that there was great eagerness to open the cemetery before the mid-year vacation season in schools and universities, to enable Egyptians, along with foreign visitors, to see an important aspect of the history of ancient Egypt, and to learn about the biography of the king, who founded one of the important family in ancient Egyptian history.

The cemetery was restored to protect its monuments, inscriptions and drawings, and to strengthen its colors, in addition to the restoration of the coffin that contained the mummy of King Ramses the First, before it was stolen decades ago, as it was absent from Egypt at the hands of thieves and smugglers of ancient Egyptian antiquities in 1860, until it returned to Egypt again in 2009 .

For his part, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Society for Tourism and Archaeological Development, Mohamed Abdel Hamid, expressed his hope that the new year would be the beginning of a new start for Egyptian cultural tourism, and that the sector would surpass the effects of the Corona pandemic.

He explained that «the reopening of the tomb of King Ramses the First comes before the transfer of his mummy from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the Museum of Civilization in Fustat, in a huge ceremonial procession, among the 22 mummies that will be transferred to settle in the new Museum of Civilization, including 18 mummies for kings, and four mummies for queens They ruled Egypt thousands of years ago.

Abdel Hamid added that "the absence of the cemetery's possessions from the monuments of King Ramses I, which are displayed in the British Museum, made the cemetery a special importance in getting to know the history of King Ramses the First, and seeing the drawings and inscriptions in the cemetery."

The tomb of King Ramses I was discovered by the Italian Giovanni Battista Belzoni in 1817. It is mentioned that in the early nineteenth century and after the success of the French scientist Champollion in deciphering the writing of the hieroglyphic language, European scouting campaigns began, led by the Italian Belzoni, in the area of ​​the Valley of the Kings and the Theban Cemetery west of Luxor. Indeed, Belzoni was able to discover tombs: Ramses I, Seti I, and “I”.

The cemetery was restored to protect its monuments, inscriptions and drawings, and to strengthen its colors.

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