Sisi orders parade for royal mummies transferred to NMEC

CAIRO – 23 June 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi ordered to stage an international parade for the royal mummies to be transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir square, to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat, said Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Radi on Sunday.

The Egyptian Museum hosts 150 mummies for acclaimed ancient Egyptian kings like Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Thutmose II, Thutmose II, Ramses I, Ramses II, and Ramses III.

Only 22 mummies (18 for royal kings and 4 for royal queens) and 17 sarcophagi - dating back to dynasties 17, 18,19, and 20 - will be transported to the NMEC, Head of the Egyptian Museum Sabah Abdel-Razeq told media on June 21.

In his meeting with Minister of Antiquities Khaled Anani and Minister of Tourism Rania al-Mashat on Sunday, President Sisi also directed to develop the NMEC, the area surrounding it and Ayn as Sirah Lake, Radi added.

President Sisi was also updated on the latest developments of the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum due to be inaugurated late 2020, Radi continued.

Minister Mashat affirmed that Egypt’s tourism revival campaign promotes for the inauguration of GEM in all Egyptian tourism pavilions worldwide, Radi said.

The Grand Egyptian Museum is one of the largest archaeological museums in the world. Thousands of artifacts will be displayed there, which will attract many tourists from around the world.

The museum is built on a land area of 117 acres. The project’s foundation was laid in February 2002. Construction of the mega project began in May 2005. A total of 100,000 artifacts are being restored to be displayed in the GEM. Furthermore, the GEM consists of 19 restoration labs, making it the largest artifact restoration center in the world.

In addition, the GEM consists one of the biggest artifact documentation units for selected artifacts worldwide. Some of the artifacts planned to be displayed in the GEM date back to the pre-Pharaonic dynasties era (pre-family era).

King Ramses statue was placed in the GEM’s lobby entrance to welcome the visitors. It is worth mentioning that the façade of the museum is coated with alabaster stones. Also, the walls of the GEM overlooking the Pyramids will have a glass panoramic view.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will cost $1.100 billion financed by the Japanese government through two loans worth $450 million.

Additional reporting by Angy Essam and Mustafa Marie