The allure of ancient Egypt has always captivated the imagination, and today that fascination is manifesting itself more than ever in the record-breaking numbers of people attending the “On Top of the Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Civilisation” exhibition in China.
Held at the Shanghai National Museum, the exhibition is drawing visitors from all corners of the country, eager to catch a glimpse of the wonders of one of history’s most enigmatic civilisations.
The exhibition offers an unparalleled journey through the rich tapestry of ancient Egyptian history from its early days during the Naqada and Early Dynastic Periods up until the New Kingdom.
Visitors are greeted by towering statues of kings, intricate hieroglyphs, and meticulously preserved artefacts that illustrate ancient Egyptian concepts of kingship, religious beliefs, and the afterlife, as well as ways of living, writing, and the use of adornments and jewellery.
Despite the hot weather, visitors lined up outside the Shanghai National Museum eager to catch a glimpse of the much-anticipated exhibition, which opened to the public on 19 July and is set to run for 13 months.
The exhibition is the largest showcase of ancient Egyptian artefacts ever held in Asia, featuring 788 objects from seven Egyptian museums including the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, the Manial Palace Museum, the Luxor Museum, the Ismailia Museum, and the Suez National Museum, generating unprecedented interest.
The museum sold 250,000 early-bird tickets months before the opening, and it recently announced that the exhibition is fully booked for the next two months.
To manage the overwhelming demand, it has implemented an appointment system, capping the number of daily visitors at 8,000. In response to the public enthusiasm, it has extended its hours into the evenings, accommodating an additional 4,000 visitors per day.
Notably, the first cat-friendly evening session, held on 27 July, sold out within seconds. This unique session allowed pet owners to bring their own cats to pay homage to Bastet, the ancient Egyptian cat deity.
According to a China-based travel platform, the exhibition has boosted hotel bookings by 20 per cent year-on-year, while another travel platform showed that bookings for home accommodation services near the museum have nearly doubled compared with last year, with Shanghai being one of the top cities in China for hotel bookings.
Visitors have expressed awe and admiration for the exhibition. Li Wei, a history enthusiast, said “I have always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, but seeing these artefacts up close is a dream come true. The exhibition is beautifully curated, and the level of detail is astounding.”
Another visitor, Zhang Min, brought her family to the exhibition. “My children are learning about ancient Egypt in school, and this exhibition is the perfect complement to their studies. It’s educational and entertaining for all of us.”
“Visiting the exhibition, I felt an atmosphere filled with excitement, anticipation, and curiosity as many people eagerly waited for their turn to explore the mystical world of ancient Egypt,” said another visitor to the exhibition, adding that the historical and cultural treasures of Egypt have been warmly received by the Chinese public.
“During my visit, I was struck by the exceptionally high standards and quality of the exhibition,” she said.
According to Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai National Museum, the exhibition represents the first collaboration between a Chinese state-run museum and the Egyptian government. It is also the largest exhibition of Egyptian artefacts ever held outside Egypt, symbolising a new era of friendship between China and Egypt.
The exhibition consists of three chapters. The first one is named “The Land of the Pharaohs”, which provides an overview of ancient Egyptian civilisation. This section explores creation myths, cosmology, social hierarchy, writing, craftsmanship, and burial traditions encompassing both everyday life and the spiritual realm.
“The Secrets of Saqqara”, is the second chapter of the exhibition, where visitors can view recent discoveries from Saqqara, including Egypt’s largest animal mummy cemetery and the most intact mummification workshop for sacred animals, offerings to the goddess Bastet, and the burial customs of Bastet’s priests.
The third chapter is “The Age of Tutankhamun”, focusing on the era around 1500 BCE. It includes artefacts from king Tutankhamun’s reign, a period known for the restoration of traditional Egyptian religion and art. It also displays some Chinese artefacts, aiming to spark a dialogue between the two ancient civilisations.
Famous objects in the exhibition include statues of renowned Pharaohs such as Ramses II, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Amenemhat III, and Meneptah, and statues of Egyptian deities like Osiris, Isis, Bastet, Hathor, the Apis bull, and Thoth.
The exhibition also features a collection of gold bracelets encrusted with stones, royal crowns, cartouches, and items representing the ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife, including coloured wooden coffins and canopic jars. A mummy portrait from the Ptolemaic Period and a wooden coffin recently unearthed in Saqqara are also among the exhibition’s highlights.
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mohamed Ismail Khaled said the artefacts on display highlight the grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilisation from its inception during the Naqada and Early Dynastic periods to the New Kingdom.
“We have enriched the exhibition with a selection of artefacts discovered by the Egyptian mission in Saqqara, Egypt’s oldest and largest necropolis,” Khaled said, including several colourful coffins, mummified animal remains, a faience ushabti statuette, 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, since other 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,” Khaled said.
“It’s truly wonderful to present the Chinese people with artefacts from every part of the great ancient Egyptian civilisation,” Khaled said, adding that small pieces had been selected to offer a sort of “appetiser” of Egyptian culture.
“The uniqueness of this exhibition lies in showcasing many new artefacts that have never left Egypt before,” he noted.
Chu Xiaobo said several rounds of discussions with the Egyptian side had been held to make the exhibition come true.
The exhibition takes up three exhibition halls on the first level of the Shanghai Museum featuring a magnificent collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts spread over a total of 3,000 square metres of exhibition space.
Concurrently, an immersive display titled “Disappearing Pharaoh Khufu” is 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 1 August, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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