Ancient Egypt has long captivated the world owing to its granådeur, mystery, and rich history, and one of the most iconic and enigmatic monuments in ancient Egyptian history is the Pyramids and the great kings and queens that formed the ancient Egyptian civilisation, reports Nevine El-Aref.
To highlight the life and accomplishments of the magnificent Pharaohs, and to acknowledge the greatness of the ancient Egyptian civilisation, a special exhibition, Top of the Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Civilisation, allows visitors to travel back in time and experience the opulence and majesty of a fascinating civilisation.
The countdown has now begun for the largest exhibition of Egyptian artefacts outside North Africa, bringing 787 dazzling objects to China, many of which are newly discovered and have never previously left Egypt.
Starting on 19 July, the exhibit will be presented at the Shanghai Museum in People’s Square. It will represent the largest display of Egyptian artefacts outside North Africa, with almost all of them being shown in China for the first time. The exhibition features 787 artefacts from various periods of ancient Egyptian civilisation, carefully selected from multiple Egyptian museums, including the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Manial Palace Museum, Luxor Museum, Ismailia Museum, and the Suez National Museum.
The most famous objects include the statues of kings Amenhotep IV and Tutankhamen from the 18th Dynasty, a mummy portrait from the Ptolemaic period, and a wooden coffin recently unearthed in Saqqara.
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Ismail said the artefacts on display highlight the grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilisation from its inception during the Naqada period and the early dynastic periods to the New Kingdom.
It illustrates concepts of kingship, daily life, adornment, jewellery, writing, religious beliefs, and the afterlife in ancient Egypt. It showcases statues of kings including Ramses II, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Amenemhat III, and Meneptah, as well as Egyptian deities Osiris, Isis, Bastet, Hathor, the Apis bull, and Thoth.
Also on display are a collection of gold bracelets adorned with stones, vessels, royal crowns, and cartouches, along with artefacts reflecting the ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife, including a notable collection of colourful wooden coffins and canopic jars.
“We have also enriched the exhibition with a selection of artefacts discovered by the Egyptian mission in the Saqqara, Egypt’s oldest and largest necropolis,” Ismail said, including several colourful coffins, mummified animal remains, a faience ushabti statue, and a collection of statues representing the Old Kingdom, crafted from painted limestone.
He said the exhibition is not the first of its kind in China; numerous archaeological exhibitions have been held in various Chinese cities. But it is the largest since 2003.
“The exhibition highlights the profound historical cooperation between China and Egypt, showcasing the enduring interactions and exchanges between their peoples that have lasted for thousands of years,” Ismail said.
According to Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Museum, several rounds of discussions with the Egyptian side were held to make the exhibition come true.
It takes up to three exhibition halls on the first level of the Shanghai Museum, and will feature 500 collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts.
Concurrently, an immersive display titled Disappearing Pharaoh Khufu will be showcased on the second level, echoing the first-floor exhibition. Visitors can enjoy a 45-minute virtual experience that transports them to the enigmatic Egyptian society of 4,500 years ago, thanks to state-of-the-art virtual reality technology.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 July, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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