Egypt holds parade to celebrate moving 22 royal mummies to new location

4 April 2021, 09:59 | Updated: 4 April 2021, 10:02

Egypt has held a gala parade to celebrate the transportation of 22 of its prized royal mummies from central Cairo to a new location.

The royal mummies were being transferred from their previous home in the Egyptian Museum to a new resting location in a museum further south in Cairo.

They were transported in climate-controlled cases that were loaded onto trucks decorated with wings and pharaonic design.

The trucks were decorated to appear like the ancient boats that were used to carry dead pharaohs to their tombs.

According to Egypt's ministry of antiquities, most of the mummies belong to the ancient New Kingdom which ruled Egypt between 1539 BC to 1075 BC.

The mummies, comprising 18 pharaohs and four other royals, were originally buried around 3,000 years ago in secret tombs in the Valley of Kings and the nearby Deir el-Bahri site.

They include one of the country's most well-known pharaohs, Ramses II. In addition, among the mummies was also Egypt's only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.

The gala parade was broadcast live on Egyptian state television and other stations. It was also live-streamed on social media platforms by Egypt's tourism and antiquities ministry.

"This parade is a unique global event that will not be repeated," declared tourism and antiquities minister Khaled el-Anany.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi tweeted: "This majestic scene is a new evidence of the greatness of this people, the guarding of this unique civilisation that extends into the depths of history."

Egypt's tourism and antiquities ministry have indicated that 20 of the mummies will be displayed at the new museum while the remaining two will be stored.