The Pharaohs' Golden Parade[a] was held in Cairo, Egypt, on 3 April 2021. It involved the transportation of 22 ancient Egyptian mummies—all Kings and Queens of the New Kingdom—from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat.[1]
 Official logo of the event | |
| Date | 3 April 2021 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat |
| Location | Cairo, Egypt |
| Coordinates | 30°2′40″N 31°14′9″E / 30.04444°N 31.23583°E |
| Motive | Transportation of 22 ancient Egyptian mummies of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom |
| Organized by | Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt |
This event was broadcast live through the country's major television channels, and was also covered by some major international news agencies.
Background
editThe twenty-two mummies that were moved were discovered in two locations, the Royal Cache in Deir el-Bahari and the tomb of Amenhotep II, in 1881 and 1898, respectively. Since their discovery, they had been moved multiple times, until they were finally placed at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. Over the years, due to the increasing number of archaeological discoveries, the Egyptian Museum started to lose its ability to fully show the artefacts placed in it, which led the government to plan new museums including the Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC). Ahead of the event, the Egyptian government began renovating Tahrir Square by restoring a broken-up Obelisk from Tanis that was built by King Ramesses II and putting it in the middle of the square, surrounded by four Sphinxes that were restored and brought from the Karnak Temple in Luxor, in addition to lighting work done in buildings overlooking the square.[2]
Event
editBefore the event started, several roads had to be closed and traffic to be rerouted for the rest of that day. It is unclear if Cairo Metro's Sadat station was closed or not.
In order to be transported, the mummies were placed in containers with a nitrogen atmosphere.[3] The containers were transported in vehicles that were made by Egypt exclusively for the parade and were designed and fitted with decoration based on Egyptian funerary boats.[3] They also made Egyptian funerary boats for the event, which appeared several times during the event on the lake in front of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
The diplomatic corps in Cairo was summoned to attend a viewing party in the main hall of the NMEC, newly inaugurated by President el-Sisi, which was also attended by a variety of dignitaries, including the Director-General of UNESCO and the Saudi Arabian and Greek ministers of tourism.[4][5]
The parade started at 6:30 PM local time. It included a concert by the Egyptian United Philharmonic Orchestra led by Egyptian maestro Nader Abbassi, and composed by Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih. Production design was by Mohamed Attia[6] and direction by Aahmad al Morsy.[7] The concert included chants in the Ancient Egyptian language sung by Egyptian soprano Amira Selim. The lyrics of the hymn performed by Amira Selim, "A Reverence for Isis", were taken from inscriptions on the walls of the Deir el-Shelwit temple in Luxor. Other Ancient Egyptian lyrics that were sung during the parade came from the Book of the Dead and the Pyramid Texts.[8][9] Two more songs in Classical Arabic and Egyptian Arabic were performed by Reham Abdel Hakim and Nesma Mahgoub, respectively.
Multiple recordings were shown during the parade, including one of Egyptian actors and actresses in many Ancient Egyptian archaeological sites,[10] as well as a video of Egyptian actor Khaled El Nabawy touring many sites around Egypt that have been restored in the past few years,[11] and the Egyptian actress Yousra appeared crowned on one of the Egyptian funerary boats that were made for the event.
During the parade, roads leading to or near the two museums were closed and under heavy security. At the door of the NMEC, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received the convoy, which was met with a 21-gun salute by the Republican Guard.
Egyptian president el-Sisi tweeted: "This majestic scene is evidence of the greatness of the Egyptian people, the guardians of this unique civilization extending deep into the depths of history."[12]
Reception
editEgyptian government-controlled news sources claimed that the parade caused an upswell of national pride,[13][14] and the Egyptian ministry of finance issued commemorative Egyptian one pound and one hundred pound coins carrying the name and the official logo of the Pharaohs' Golden Parade, to symbolize this historic cultural event.[15] The logo of the event was based an ancient Egyptian scarab beetle motif, which symbolized eternity and afterlife. The Egyptian ministry of communications and information technology (MCIT) issued QR Code commemorative stamps carrying the name and the official logo of the Pharaohs' Golden Parade, as well as ones carrying the pictures of the kings and the queens who were transported in the parade.[16][17]
The parade route from the Egyptian Museum to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization was about 5 km (3.1 miles) long.[1]
The parade was criticized by some international spectators. Barriers along the route were erected to keep more impoverished areas of Cairo out of view, and several informal settlements along the route were demolished and covered with sand.[3][4] Egyptian historian Khaled Fahmy criticized the militarized aspect of the parade as indictive of the Egyptian regime's "true priorities."[18] Most Egyptians watched the parade on TV, as no vehicles or spectators were allowed along the route.[19][20]
Identities of moved mummies
editThe carriages moved in chronological order of their reigns:[1]
- King Seqenenre Tao
- Queen Ahmose-Nefertari
- King Amenhotep I
- Queen Meritamun
- King Thutmose I
- King Thutmose II
- Queen Hatshepsut
- King Thutmose III
- King Amenhotep II
- King Thutmose IV
- King Amenhotep III
- Queen Tiye
- King Seti I
- King Ramesses II
- King Merenptah
- King Seti II
- King Siptah
- King Ramesses III
- King Ramesses IV
- King Ramesses V
- King Ramesses VI
- King Ramesses IX
See also
edit- Pharaonism – Egyptian nationalist ideology
Notes
edit- ^ Arabic: موكب المومياوات الملكية; Egyptian Arabic: موكب المميات الملكيه; Coptic: Ϯϫⲓⲛⲟⲩⲱⲛϩ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲫⲁⲣⲁⲱ ⲛ̀ⲛⲟⲩⲃ (Tiḏinouōnh nnipharaō nnoub)
References
edit- ^ a b c "Egypt mummies pass through Cairo in ancient rulers' parade". BBC. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Photos: Tahrir Square lights up in final stage of development project". Egypt Independent. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Yetikyel, Gia (6 April 2021). "Why Egypt Paraded 22 Ancient Pharaohs Through the Streets of Cairo". smithsonianmag.com. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ a b "In Egypt, a motorcade of mummies says more about the modern nation than the ancient past". Apollo Magazine. 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ Cascone, Sarah (2021-04-05). "Cairo Literally Paraded Ancient Royal Mummies Through Town to Mark the Opening of a Long-Awaited Egyptian Civilization Museum". Artnet News. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ Nada El Sawy (2021-04-23). "Egyptian production designer Mohamed Attia says mummies parade a career highlight". The National.
- ^ "Egyptian artists honoured at Cairo Opera House for taking part in Golden Parade". Ahram Online. 2021-04-12.
- ^ "Egypt's Soprano Amira Selim dazzles the world with exceptional performance in Pharaohs' Golden Parade". Egypt Today. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "All you need to know about "Pharaohs Golden Parade" breathtaking symphony (Video)". Sada El Balad. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Egyptian celebrities steal mummies show in Cairo". Arab News. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Video: Khaled el-Nabawy showcases recent developments of archaeologist sites in Egypt". Egypt Today. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Egypt's Pharaohs' Golden Parade: A majestic journey that history will forever record". EgyptToday. 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ Alaina. "The last parade of the Pharaohs made the Egyptians proud of their country". thearabposts.com/. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ "Culture, Tourism Ministers honour Royal Mummies Parade line-up". dailynewsegypt.com. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ "Egypt issues commemorative coin to mark Pharaohs' Golden Parade - Politics - Egypt". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
- ^ "Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". mcit.gov.eg. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ "Photos: Egypt issues a set of postage stamps to commemorate the royal mummies parade". Egypt Independent. 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ جدلية, Jadaliyya-. "The Pharaohs' Golden Parade: Egypt and the Military Mobilization of History". Jadaliyya - جدلية. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ "Cairo's mummies get a new home. And a grand procession on the way". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ "The Pharaohs' Golden Parade: A befitting tribute - Opinion". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2021-09-24.