Twenty-two royal Egyptian mummies are set to be transferred to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) in a much-awaited parade in the streets of Cairo on 3 April, the tourism and antiquities ministry announced on Wednesday.

In a video teaser on Facebook, the ministry said that the 22 mummies will be transferred in a parade from Downtown Cairo’s Egyptian Museum to NMEC in Fustat.

"Don’t miss this unrivalled, once in a lifetime event. Stay tuned for The Pharoahs’ Golden Parade on the 3 April 2021,” it said.

The royal mummies, along with 17 royal sarcophagi from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties, will be transported to the museum, including 18 mummies of kings and four of queens.

The mummies include those of kings Ramses II, Seti I, Seqnenre, and Tuthmoses III, as well as queens Hatshepsut, Meritamun, the wife of King Amenhotep I, and Ahmose Nefertari, the wife of King Ahmose.

While no details have been revealed by the ministry, it is expected that the royal procession that will take place in the first week of April will take spectators back to the ancient Egyptian period, when kings and queens were transported to their tombs towards eternity.

The new procession will see the royal mummies transported on the Nile and then accompanied by chariots and horses.

Work has been underway in the past few years in NMEC to ensure the halls of the museum are equipped to receive the mummies and sarcophagi.

The NMEC covers some 135,000 square metres and overlooks the Ain Al-Sira Lake, close to the religious compound where Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque is located, near the Hanging Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo.