古代エジプト王のミイラ２２体、「黄金の行列」で引っ越し

【カイロＡＦＰ＝時事】エジプトの首都カイロで3日、古代エジプト最強の女王を含む22人のファラオのミイラが、立派な装飾を施した車列によるパレードで移送された。（写真はエジプト・カイロで古代王のミイラ22体を運ぶパレードの様子）
　ミイラは装飾された車両に乗せられ、厳重な警備の下、考古学博物館から新たな国立エジプト文明博物館まで、カイロ市内を７キロ移動した。
　パレードは「ファラオの黄金の行進」と名付けられ、王１８人、女王４人のミイラが、古代エジプト風の装飾を施した車両で１体ずつ、時代の古い順に並んで移送された。
　車列の先頭は、紀元前１６００年ごろにエジプト南部を治め、勇敢な王として知られるセケンエンラー２世。最後尾は紀元前１２世紀のラムセス９世だった。
　戦士として名高く在位が６７年に及んだラムセス２世、最強の女王と呼ばれるハトシェプスト女王らのミイラも移送された。
　金色と黒色に塗られた車両には、それぞれの王の名前が書かれ、路面の凸凹による影響を防ぐために衝撃吸収材が取り付けられた。
　現在の博物館があるタハリール広場とパレードの経路は歩行者、車両ともに通行止めとなった。
　ミイラは、予定されていたよりもやや短い約３０分の移動で新しい博物館に到着し、２１発の礼砲に迎えられた。
　今回の移送のためにカイロに滞在していた国連教育科学文化機関（ユネスコ）のオードレ・アズレ事務局長は、ミイラの「引っ越し」は、その保全と展示の状態を改善する多大な取り組みの仕上げに当たると説明し、パレードは、ミイラを「ただ移動させるよりも、はるかに強く感情を呼び起こす──人々はエジプト文明史をその目で見ることができる」と語った。
　国立エジプト文明博物館は２０１７年から限定的に展示を開始しており、４日から完全に開館する。ミイラの一般公開は２週間後になる予定。
　数か月後には、ギザのピラミッドの近くで大エジプト博物館の開館も予定されている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/04/05-11:25）

A procession of floats carried the mummified remains of 22 pharaohs, including Egypt's most powerful ancient queen, through Cairo Saturday evening, in an eye-catching parade to a new resting place.
Under hefty security, the mummies were driven on floats seven kilometres (four miles) across the capital from the iconic Egyptian Museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.
Dubbed the Pharaohs' Golden Parade, the 18 kings and four queens travelled in order, oldest first, each aboard a separate vehicle decorated in ancient Egyptian style.
Both pedestrians and vehicles were barred from Tahrir Square, site of the current museum, and other sections of the route.
Images of the slick parade and an equally carefully choreographed opening ceremony were broadcast live on state television, to rousing music.
The mummies entered the grounds of the new museum to a 21-gun salute, after a slightly shorter than expected journey time of around half an hour.
This grandiose spectacle is further proof of the greatness... of a unique civilisation that extends into the depths of history, said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi just ahead of proceedings.
Seqenenre Tao II, the Brave, who reigned over southern Egypt some 1,600 years before Christ, was on the first chariot, while Ramses IX, who reigned in the 12th century BC, brought up the rear.
Another great warrior, Ramses II, who ruled for 67 years, and Queen Hatshepsut, the most powerful female pharaoh, were also on the short voyage.
Emblazoned with the name of their allocated sovereign, the gold and black coloured carriages were fitted with shock absorbers for the trip, to ensure none of the precious cargos were accidentally disturbed by uneven surfaces.
- 'Upgraded cases' -
Discovered near Luxor from 1881 onwards, fascinating new details of the pharaohs' lives -- and deaths -- are still emerging.
A high-tech study of Seqenenre Tao II, involving CT scans and 3D images of his hands and long-studied skull fractures, indicate he was likely killed in an execution ceremony, after being captured in battle.
For their procession through Cairo's streets, the mummies were placed in special containers filled with nitrogen, under conditions similar to their regular display cases.
The new resting place, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in the Fustat district of Old Cairo, consists of sleek, low-rise buildings topped with a pyramid amid expansive grounds.
The mummies will undergo 15 days of laboratory restoration before they are showcased individually in their new home, in an environment redolent of underground tombs.
They will be accompanied by a brief biography.
In their new home, they will occupy slightly upgraded cases, said Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.
Temperature and humidity control will also be enhanced.
The museum has what it takes to preserve (mummies), the best laboratories... it is one of the best museums we have, Waleed el-Batoutti, adviser to the tourism and antiquities ministry, told state television.
- 'Curse of the Pharaoh' -
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation opened its doors to limited exhibits from 2017 and will open fully on Sunday, before the mummies go on display to the general public two weeks later.
In the coming months, the country is due to inaugurate another new showcase, the Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Giza pyramids.
It too will house pharaonic collections, including the celebrated treasure of Tutankhamun.
Discovered in 1922, the tomb of the young ruler, who took the throne briefly in the 14th century BC, contained treasures including gold and ivory.
A so-called curse of the pharaoh emerged in the wake of Tutankhamun's unearthing in 1922-23.
A key funder of the dig, Lord Carnarvon, died of blood poisoning months after the tomb was opened, while an early visitor likewise died abruptly in 1923.
With the parade coming only days after several disasters struck Egypt, some inevitably speculated on social media about a new curse provoked by the latest move.
The past days have seen a deadly rail collision and a building collapse in Cairo, while global headlines were dominated by the struggle to refloat the giant container ship MV Ever Given which blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week.
The mummies' re-housing marks the end of much work to improve their conservation and exhibition, said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who was in Cairo for the parade.
This raises emotions that go much further than the mere relocation of a collection -- we will see the history of Egyptian civilisation unfold before our eyes.