In Egypt, 22 historical mummies will be transported in a grand parade from Cairo to Fustat, a little further south, on Saturday. It concerns eighteen former monarchs and four queens of the country.
to me Al Jazeera A large-scale ceremonial display is being deliberately organized to stimulate Egyptians’ interest in their national history. Usually, museums in the North African country receive a lot of income from tourists who admire the monuments, but due to travel restrictions due to the Corona crisis, cultural institutions lose a lot of income.
The authorities were advancing the ceremonial parade. For example, many roads have been closed along the Nile, while the distance to be traveled is only 5 kilometers.
Special capsules have also been designed to transport mummies. A large amount of nitrogen should protect the mummies in the capsules, while they are transported in shock absorbing vehicles on the road.
Mummies are playing a different role in a new museum
Archaeologist Zahi Hawass says in an interview with Al Jazeera That the mummies will be transferred to the Museum of Civilization, because the antiquities in the current Egyptian Museum in Cairo are displayed “only” to entertain visitors in the new residence, their history can also be interpreted in a more civilized way, Hawass says.
The oldest corpse to be relocated is that of Seqenenre Tao, also known as Ta’a II, he writes Al Jazeera. It is said that he lived in the sixteenth century BC.
