Still Waiting!

[Winged Isis]

The latest I've read is they met this week and it will happen in September.
*sigh* Sooooooo Egypt.

Royal mummies to be transfered from Egyptian Museum to NMEC on June.15
By: Angy Essam Fri, Jun. 7, 2019

CAIRO – 7 June 2019: The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir houses two halls that contain the biggest collection of royal mummies in the whole world. The two halls include great Egyptian kings’ mummies.

Renowned Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass revealed that all these valuable mummies will be transferred to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation by a great world parade on June 15.

The mummies is for acclaimed ancient Egyptian kings like Amenhotep the First, Thutmose I, Thutmose II, Thutmose II , Ramses I, , Ramses II, Ramses III, among others.


Royal Mummies to be Transferred to NMEC from Egyptian Museum
EGYPTIAN STREETS
MAY 12, 2019

A number of Egyptian royal mummies are set to be moved from the Mummies Room in the Egyptian Museum to a new home: the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The move is set to take place mid-June. According to Egypt Today, which cited prominent Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, the royals will be transferred in a grand parade on June 15.

Currently, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the home of the biggest Egyptian civilization in the world, has two halls which contain the royal mummies. It also contains a number of animal mummies.

The royal male mummies that are set to be moved are Seqenere Ta, Ahmose I, Amenhotep III, Ramses I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and Thutmose I, II, III, and II, Pinudjem II, Siptah, Merenptah and Sety I.

As for the female mummies, they will be queens Ahmose-Nefetari, Maatkare, Henuttawi, Isetemkheb, Sitkamose, and Nodjmet.

The news of the transfer was initially announced on the NMEC’s official Facebook page which stated that the NMEC, which has only been partially open, is going to be hosting the mummies in a bid to give it a ‘competitive’ edge with the Egyptian museum. As such, the museum is expected to be more attractive to the tourists who are particularly keen on seeing Egypt’s mummies – a key attraction to those interested in Egyptology.

On social media, the move has been severely criticized as the NMEC is perceived as a ‘far’ and ‘underdeveloped attraction’ in Cairo’s Al Fustat area.

Once opened, the NMEC is expected to rival the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) which also set to open in 2020.

[newcastle]

It seems ridiculous to put the Royal Mummies in the NMEC.

Now, a visitor intent on seeing Egypt’s primary artefacts will have to shlep between the NMEC, the GEM and the old museum in Tahrir Square.

As if........

[Winged Isis]

Exactly. It will make things more difficult for tourists, guides and tour companies. Though apparently to move the mummies has been the plan from way back.

[Winged Isis]

Apparently, On Monday, Luxor Times will "publish a full report on it including photos from the civilisation museum where inside the rooms the mummies will be moved to." (sic)

[A-Four]

It is not so surprising that we are still waiting, when one knows the full story of these royal mummies,.....I'll pick up the story from 1953.

The royal mummies were first put on display in Room 52 at the Cairo Museum, under the orders of the first president Mohamid Naquib, for one reason only, extra revenue. This remained so until the next president, Sadat became concerned about 'Islamic sensitities' in 1980.

The display continued, when suddenly in 1976 curators noticed serious deterioration in the remains off Ram II, the body was sent off to Paris in the hope that the great Egyptian pharaoh could be saved. One year later it was returned, with the instruction that all such mummies must be placed in sealed glass containers, that would allow only 1% oxygen, rather than the usual 20.9%. In 1980 Room 52 was closed to visitors. It would 14 years before the public would see these mummies again.

In Oct 1990 a press release was issued, that stated that the new display was ready and would soon open, the enterance charge would be 40LE, at that time was around $15. It was at this time that Egypt, under Mubarak, really got its act together with regards international tourism. It was said at that time that,if a tourist required a taxi, even Mubarak would offer his own car, so desperate were tourist required at that time. I should point out though that it was not until March 1994 that the 'exhibits' went on display, white marble walls and all, paid for by UNESCO.

Still waiting,............certainly nothing new there .