Egypt: why 22 royal mummies parade in an unprecedented way in Cairo

A historic parade of royal mummies, including Ramses II and Hatshepsut, began on Saturday from Tahrir Square in Cairo to reach the new home of the 22 pharaohs at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), according to television footage. of state.

The convoy, made up of black vehicles adorned with golden and luminous patterns reminiscent of ancient funeral vessels, left under high security shortly after 8 p.m.

In addition to numerous police vehicles, a mounted guard supervises the route of the remains of the ancient kings and queens of Egypt.

They had rested in the Cairo museum for over a century

These mummies have so far rested in the Cairo Museum for over a century.

The approximately seven kilometer trip to the NMEC should take approximately 40 minutes.

"The whole world is going to watch this", rejoiced the famous Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass on Saturday.

Tahrir Square, recently decorated with an ancient obelisk and four ram-headed sphinxes, was to be closed "to vehicles and pedestrians", according to the authorities.

Egyptians can watch the parade on television or on the internet.

In chronological order, the pharaoh Seqenenre Tâa (16th century BC), nicknamed "the courageous", was to lead the way, closed by Ramses IX (12th century BC).

Among the most famous mummies are therefore that of Ramses II and that of Hatshepsut and Ramses II.

The reign of Hatshepsut, about 20 years (1479-1458 BC), was marked by an increase in trade.

Ramses II, great warrior king and one of the most powerful pharaohs, reigned 67 years (1301-1236 BC).

The NMEC, which occupies a large building south of Cairo, is due to open on April 4.

But the mummies will not be on public display until April 18.

The Director General of Unesco Audrey Azoulay, present in Cairo on Saturday, said in a statement that the moving of the mummies to the NMEC was "the culmination of a long work to better preserve and display them".

A work in which Unesco took part.

The "curse of the pharaoh" shakes social networks

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 were exhibited there in a small room, without clear museographic explanations.

At the NMEC, they will appear in more modern boxes "for better temperature and humidity control than in the old museum", explained Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo, a specialist in mummification. .

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

The grand parade, announced by authorities using online videos, caused a stir on social media.

Under the hashtag in Arabic # malédiction_des_pharaons, many Internet users have associated the recent disasters in Egypt with a "curse" which would have been caused by the displacement of the mummies.

In one week, Egypt experienced the blockage of the Suez Canal by a container ship, a train accident that left 18 dead in Sohag (south) and the collapse of a building in Cairo which resulted in death of 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 of members of the team of archaeologists.