Egypt 2021: The Mummies are back!

By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid
AJA President

CAIRO: Two great events marked 2021 in Egypt, followed by hundreds of millions around the world. Thanks to ancient Egyptians, both events were not related to wars and terrorism, as was usually expected in this hot Middle East region for the last decade.

The first event started with the royals in the historical march of the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade, on April 3, moving 22 ancient Egyptian mummies and 17 royal coffins, dating back to the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasties. In the impressive march, 18 of the mummies are for kings, while four belong to queens.

Among the mummies transferred are mummies of King Ramses II; King Seqenenre Tao; King Thutmose 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.

They were moved from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to their final destination in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The second event moved attention from the Egyptian capital to the southern part of the country, as Egypt revived a cultural tradition that has not been seen for several thousand years.

The country opened the 3,000-year-old Avenue of Sphinxes to the public in an extravagant ceremony in the southern city of Luxor that follows decades of excavation efforts.

The ancient walkway, nearly two miles long and about 250 feet wide, was once named “The Path of God.” It connects the Temple of Luxor with the Temple of Karnak, just up the Nile River to the north.

Egyptians are expecting that these two events will help the tourism sector recovery.

For me, I would say that 2022 must witness a third parade to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun, a landmark moment in Egypt’s long and celebrated history.

It seems that mummies are back to help save the future of the Egyptian economy. This is perfectly planned by the government, supported by citizens and admired by the world, as well.