On April 3, around 5 PM Cairo time, people in Egypt and around the world will witness a chilling and remarkable sight. The mummies of Ancient Egyptian royalty—22 kings and queens to be exact—are to be shipped from the historic Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), one of the world’s biggest archaeological museums! With over 400 media channels from across the globe covering it, the complexities of the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade are certainly representative of the country’s reverence towards the long-gone kings and queens of the first civilization. They also showcase that Egypt is capable of mastering intricate planning and execution with numerous entities carrying out their duties in harmony.
We get into some of the details that reflect that the most, the reason why the move is being hyped, and where you could watch it live!
The specially designed vehicles are ready to carry 18 kings 4 queens who reigned over Ancient Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.
Honoring Some of History’s Greatest and Most Controversial Figures
The celebrities of the parade include Ramses II, who is regarded as one of the greatest pharaohs of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt; and Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt’s few female pharaohs who was documented as a successful builder and an assertive leader. You could learn more about them and the rest of the mummies here.
Many of the pharaohs on the trip to the NMEC are among history’s most enigmatic and compelling humans, and they’re being treated with due reverence. This is clearly reflected in the design of the vehicles carrying their bodies, the content of campaigns around the parade, the safety and security precautions taken, and much more.
Revealing an obelisk and unboxing four sphinxes in the heart of Downtown Cairo, Tahrir Square, are also on the event’s much-anticipated agenda.
The event will include the unveiling of an obelisk and the unboxing of four sphinxes in the center of Cairo’s famous Tahrir Square too. The artifacts were installed and have been waiting for their debut for several months now.
Their journey will kick off with a 21-gun salute as they take to the road with dancers and guards on horses. Egyptian singer, Mohamed Mounir; and movie stars, Hend Sabry and Mona Zaki; will be among the several renowned celebrities that shall join them as well. The music and motorcade-led parade will further be accompanied by fireworks and an audiovisual show that dominates spacious sections of its environment.
Stars Mona Zaki, Mohamed Mounir, and Hend Sabry will help celebrate and generate a buzz around the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade this Saturday, April 3.
Even the colors of all the facades of buildings facing the parade’s five-mile route are set to be unified!
The Road to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade is set to cruise alongside the Nile river to Al-Fustat of old Cairo where NMEC awaits. The procession is set to be complete in around only an hour. This somewhat lengthy route runs through vital and busy roads in Cairo. So, strict road and subway closures with firm security measures from all the relevant governmental entities are crucial.
In hermetically sealed and climate-controlled cases, the pharaohs will ride to the NMEC are actually Egyptian military flatbed trucks modified to resemble funerary barges deceased pharaohs were carried on towards their tombs back in their day. Once they arrive at the NMEC, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and other dignitaries will be ready to greet them.
But, Why Move Them in the First Place?
The NMEC, with the help of dedicated professionals and state-of-the-art technology, will ensure better preservation of the pharaohs’ mummies. It’ll additionally allow their stories to be told to more people across the globe in fresh and engaging ways through its gigantic 23,235 square meters of exhibition space.
Millions of people around our planet are attracted to learning about, studying, and gasping in awe at the accomplishments and secrets of Ancient Egyptians. And they could help tourism—which constitutes a sizable portion of Egypt’s income—thrive even better than before it was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Head to Experience Egypt’s Youtube channel here to watch it live!
