What happened when twenty-two Mummies paraded around Egypt5 min read

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Yup, it’s true 22 Pharaohs from ancient Egypt moved along the Nile to a fancier Museum with better facilities. Quite Frankly, they had had enough of the sub-par treatment that was meted out to them. Come-on-people these are Kings and Queens we’re talking about. Don’t start rubbing your eyes to check if the lockdowns have finally made you delirious yet! I’ll be the first to admit, that may be a slight exaggeration.

But, no! Stick around. This story is still as Pharaonic and spectacular as ever. So here’s what really happened: Egypt’s government organized a grand parade to transport 22 Mummies of Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs to their new resting place. The mummies will be moving from their century-long residence, the Egyptian Museum, to an even more lush location. They will be given royal, jewel filled underground tombs in the National Museum of The Egyptian Civilization, located just outside Cairo.

Why are they moving?

The mummies moved to greener pastures. At their new museum, they have lavish tombs that resemble their original deathly place of residence. It has massive grounds, modern buildings and even a man-made pyramid at the centre. Moreover, the museum’s state of the art laboratories will help scientists preserve these fragile ancient rulers and keep them around…forever?

The parade, on the other hand, serves a whole different purpose. This glitzy parade, dubbed the ‘Pharaohs’ Golden Parade’, was made to be televised around the world. According to the Egyptian authorities, it has two functions:

On the one hand, Covid-19 has brought down the Egyptian’s spirits, and an event like this is what the people need to lift themselves up. They can finally distract themselves with the glamorous fanfare that is fit only for Pharaohs. Moreover, this will be an opportunity for the people to reignite their desire to know about their rich history and appreciate The Egyptian Civilization.

This is not the only way that the government is trying to instil a sense of historical and Archaelogical knowledge in its people. Recently, the Egyptian government announced that they would be teaching all their students Hieroglyphics! Talk out about making history exciting. Click on the image below to get a taste of Hieroglyphics or picture-writing.

On the hand, as countries open their borders and people begin, to travel again, Egypt hopes to attract many foreign tourists. Their hope is that this grand display will have people itching to visit the country. This way, the government can use the money it makes from tourism to recover the losses it suffered during the pandemic.

Is it wise for the government to spend so much money on this lavish celebration at this time? Specially as people face several struggles such as poverty and joblessness that have been caused by this terrible pandemic. Let us know what you think in the comments below

Just how grand was this parade?

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So, we all already know that the Pharaohs were fancy. They were buried in rooms of gold!! Now, imagine a modern celebration that is fit for these grand people. Think gunshots, dancers, fireworks, an orchestra and much more. The mummies themselves travelled in climate-controlled coffins that were carried in specially designed golden and black vehicles. The coffins were even made shockproof so they wouldn’t bounce around and get damaged on their long parade. The mummies travelled a scenic route alongside the river Nile in Cairo.

The Mummy’s Curse: Some believe that this movement of the Mummies has unlocked a secret curse. They blame recent tragedies such as the blockage of the Suez Canal and the tragic collision of two Egyptian trains on this sacred relocation. Is this the revenge of the Mummies?

On their way, they were greeted by Egypt’s most famous personalities, including the President himself. Throngs of people watched the parade and cheered as the glitzy show passed them by. Others watched eagerly on their phones and televisions.

Catch the highlights of the parade here:

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With Excerpts From: The New York Times, AlJazeera, Science Direct, and National Geographic