“SEE” Reviews Egyptian Museum’s Plan to Move Royal Mummies to NMEC

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities is preparing to transfer the royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Al-Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat, in an international parade to be broadcast by all global TV channels and news agencies.

“See” conducted an interview with Director General of Restoration Department at the Egyptian Museum Moa’men Othman.

Here is the full excerpt of the interview..

Could you give us an overall view about the mummies’ condition?

The mummies are in a good condition. A report has been made on the condition of each mummy, including: the historic information, ways of its preservation, and whether it has been subjected to a restoration work before or not.

[caption id="attachment_61784" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Director General of Restoration Department at the Egyptian Museum Moa’men Othman[/caption]

What is the Ministry’s plan to transfer the royal mummies to NMEC?

We are working in a full swing to bring out this great event in an honorable image before the whole world. All mummies were examined within the framework of the project; it was carried out by archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass to examine mummies via DNA and CT scan.

[caption id="attachment_61808" align="aligncenter" width="351"] Mummy of King Ramses II[/caption]

Concerning Renovation, what is the museum’s scheme to safely transfer the royal mummies?

When it comes to renovation, we have to tackle an important matter which is the process of moving the mummy from its showcase to the box, inside which the mummies will be transported. The mummies should be moved safely.

We have a great experience in transferring mummies; we dealt with them professionally according to the condition of each one.

[caption id="attachment_61807" align="aligncenter" width="405"] King Ramses III[/caption]

What are the measures taken by the museum to preserve mummies during the transportation process?

We will put the mummies in a proper temperature inside the box, until they reach their final destination in NMEC to be put in their showcases. Moreover, anti-vibration materials will be put inside and outside the box to avoid vibration.

A company affiliated to the armed forces will take over the responsibility of the transportation process; We have agreed that the speed should not exceed 30 km/h. A number of helicopters will film the event from all directions during daytime.

Contributed by: Nada Mustafa