A procession of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies passed through downtown Cairo on Saturday in the direction of a new museum three miles away, as part of a lavish 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 around 8 p.m., and headed to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, according to the Washington Post. Each of the mummies drove in golden and blue vehicles that looked like ships, and each vehicle bore the name of the mummy it carried.
The whole event attempted to recreate the traps of ancient Egypt, with horse-drawn chariot artists dressed like the ancient Egyptians. The procession circled Tahrir Square, the center of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
The route taken by the vehicles was recently paved, the coffers were filled with nitrogen and the vehicles were equipped with special shock absorbers to preserve the ancient remains.
The event had been promoted for months, according to the Post, with Egyptian authorities hoping that the transfer of mummies would attract tourists to the country whose economy has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic and political chaos. .
The event also served as a nationalist event to highlight Egypt’s place in history, the Post notes, with President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi presiding over the ceremony. He himself has often been called “a new pharaoh” by his authoritarian government and ambitious projects.
Most Egyptians watched the event on television, the Post reported, and the entire route was closed for security reasons. Parts of the event were also previously recorded with orchestras and singers playing patriotic music and segments dedicated to Egypt’s famous temples, mosques and churches.