A procession of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies passed through downtown Cairo on Saturday en route to a new museum three miles away, as part of a sumptuous ceremony to celebrate Egypt’s history.
The procession of 18 kings and four queens, called the Golden Parade of the Pharaohs, left the Egyptian Museum near Tahrir Square at around 8 pm and went to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, reports the Washington Post. Each of the mummies rode in golden and blue boat-like vehicles, with each vehicle bearing the name of the mummy it carried.
The entire event sought to recreate the trappings of ancient Egypt, with horse-drawn carriage artists dressed like the ancient Egyptians. The procession circled around Tahrir Square, the center of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
The route that the vehicles took was recently paved, the coffins were filled with nitrogen and the vehicles were equipped with special shock absorbers to preserve the old remains.
The event had been promoted for months, notes the Post, with Egyptian officials hoping that the transfer of mummies will attract tourists to the country, whose economy has been heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic and political chaos.
The event also served as a nationalist event to highlight Egypt’s place in history, notes the Post, with President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi presiding over the ceremony. He himself has often been referred to as “a new pharaoh” for his authoritarian rule and ambitious projects.
Most Egyptians watched the event on television, the Post reports, and the entire route was closed for security reasons. Some parts of the event were also pre-recorded with orchestras and singers playing patriotic music and segments dedicated to the famous temples, mosques and churches in Egypt.