Egypt witnessed a historic event: the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade carried 22 mummies — 18 kings and 4 queens — seven kilometres through Cairo in black-and-gold floats to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, greeted by a 21-gun salute.
A procession in order of reign
The mummies travelled chronologically by reign, including Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut, before settling into their new home — exhibits opened to the public on April 18.
Why gold and Egypt’s greatest rulers belong together
Nebu was the Egyptian god of gold, but gold’s deepest ties ran to Ra, the sun god — often called a mountain of gold. Egyptians believed gold was heavenly metal, the very flesh of Ra: indestructible, beautiful, and reserved largely for the wealthy and powerful.
Golden thread: the parade’s gilded floats weren’t decoration — they were theology. Gold escorted the pharaohs in death exactly as it defined them in life.
Gold has carried meaning for 5,000 years — and value all the way through. See what yours carries today.
