Mummies on the move: Egypt held a gala parade celebrating the transport of 18 pharaohs and four other royals' earthly remains from central Cairo to their new resting place in a massive new museum further south in the capital.
A convoy of vehicles transporting royal mummies is seen in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, April 3, 2021. Egypt held a parade celebrating the transport of 22 of its prized royal mummies from Egyptian Museum to he newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
The mummies were being transported in climate-controlled cases loaded onto trucks decorated with wings and pharaonic design for the hour-long journey from their previous home in the older Egyptian Museum. The vehicles were designed to appear like the ancient boats used to carry deceased pharaohs to their tombs.Most of the mummies belong to the New Kingdom, which ruled Egypt between 1539 B.C. to 1075 B.C., according to the Ministry of Antiquities.
After excavation, the mummies were taken to Cairo by boats that sailed the Nile. Some were showcased in glass cases, while others were stored. The remains of Ramses II were taken to Paris in 1976 for intensive restoration work by French scientists. Security was tight in the capital, with authorities closing off major streets and intersections along the route for the slow-moving vehicles. Guards on horses and Egyptian celebrities and signers followed the motorcade.