Egypt’s Tourism & Antiquities Min.: Date of the Royal Mummies' Parade is yet to be disclosed

CAIRO – 29 November 2020: Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is preparing for the huge global event of transferring the royal mummies, through a huge royal procession befitting the kings of ancient Egypt, as 22 mummies will be transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the place of their permanent display in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fostat.

Some news went viral on social media platforms that the parade will be held next Friday.

A number of informed sources within the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed that the date of the procession has not yet been set, and that what was circulated on social media platforms is incorrect, and that the ministry is preparing for the big parade soon.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities continues to conduct rehearsals for the transfer process, in order for the mummies to come out in a manner befitting the ancient Egyptian history.

The doors of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir will open for the exit of the royal mummies, in the presence of a large number of ambassadors, local and international media, so that 22 royal mummies bid farewell to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, on 22 cars in an old Egyptian style, with horses, and war wheels similar to the ancient Egyptian war wheels, while playing musical compositions.

The royal procession of mummies moves from Tahrir Square, where the obelisk is located in one of the most famous squares of the world, heading to the Nile Corniche, then to the place of their permanent location in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fostat.

To transport the mummies, Cairo governorate declared a state of emergency, in coordination with several entities, to determine their path, and the part that is being developed in the vicinity of the Museum of Civilizations in Ain Sira, which receives royal mummies, where the part located directly in front of the museum has been converted into a tourist attraction project linked to the museum, as well as the establishment of several roads to serve the area and link it to the main roads.

The number of mummies and coffins to be transported is 22 royal mummies and 17 royal coffins, dating back to the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasties. 18 of the mummies are for kings, while 4 belong to queens. 

Among the mummies transferred are mummies of King Ramses II; King Seqenenre Tao; King Tuthmosis III; King Seti I; Queen Hatshepsut; and Queen Meritamen, the wife of King Amenhotep I; and Queen Ahmose Nefertari, the wife of King Ahmose I.