An exhibition entitled ‘Ramses the Great, the Gold of the Pharaohs’ with 182 objects from the Kingdom of Pharaoh Ramses II will be open for visitors on April 7 at La Grande Halle de La Villette in the French capital, Paris.
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziry said that it is the third stop after it was displayed in Houston Museum and San Francisco. Each stop was for six months.
“Prior to its official opening tonight, about 145,000 tickets were sold online. It is a great start for the exhibition,” he told The Egyptian Gazette.
“It is expected that the number of visitors will reach one million,” he added.
La Grande Halle de La Villette has previously hosted an exhibition entitled ‘Tutankhamun – Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh’ from 23 March to 22 September 2019.
The exhibition, which runs until September 6, includes vast numbers of ancient Egyptian objects, solid gold and silver jewellery, statues, amulets, masks and other sarcophagi.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa held a press conference in which he said that the exhibition reflects the extent of distinguished cooperation between Egypt and France in the fields of antiquities and heritage.
The Minister invited the French people to visit the exhibition, which not only displays distinguished collections of historical Egyptian artifacts, some of which are displayed for the first time outside Egypt, but also allows visitors to experience the discovery of the Abu Simbel Temple and the tomb of Nefertari through virtual reality technology.
The exhibition displays one of the most impressive artefacts of ancient Egyptian culture ever exhibited in France.
The coffin of Ramses II, one of ancient Egypt’s longest ruling Pharaohs, has been unveiled in Paris as part of an exceptional loan to France.
The ornate sarcophagus will be the star attraction at the exhibition, according to AP.
“From an historical point of view, this is a piece of inestimable value. Part of the sarcophagus of Ramses II that protected the mummy of the king for 2,900 years,” said Egyptologist Benedicte Lhoyer who is scientific advisor to the exhibition.
Ramses II was Pharaoh of ancient Egypt between 1276 and 1213 BC, an exceptionally long reign, during which he established his rule in Nubia and built the temple of Abu Simbel.
But while the beautiful sarcophagus will be on display in Paris for a few months, the king’s mummy will remain in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The loan of the coffin is a gesture of gratitude towards Paris, whose scientists preserved Ramses II’s mummy by treating it against fungus when it was exhibited in the city in 1976.
Its latest stay in the French capital offers a rare opportunity to admire inscriptions on the sarcophagus’ sides detailing how his remains were moved three times since 1070 BC after his tomb was raided by grave robbers.
“It is an extraordinary opportunity for children and the public of all ages. It’s completely different to see it in real life rather than seeing it in pictures or on the internet,” said French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak.
