In Photos: Egypt’s museums showcase artefacts celebrating love on Valentine's Day

Nevine El-Aref , Monday 14 Feb 2022

A number of Egyptian museums are celebrating Valentine's Day by showcasing artefacts, some of which are being displayed for the first time, that highlight the concept of love in ancient Egypt.

museums

The Alexandria National Museum is exhibiting the wedding invitation of king Farouk and queen Farida which was sent to top-tier guests. 

The invitation is being showcased for the first time. It is a gold-plated pin with a photo of Farouk and Farida wearing the royal crown and bearing the date 20 January 1938.

The Sharm El-Sheikh Museum is displaying a painted wooden perfume box from the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom which contains eight pots of perfume on each is written its name. 

Ancient Egyptians regarded perfumes as the nectar of the gods, and they made them from the juices of fragrant plants that they cultivated or imported. Perfumes were used in daily life and religious funeral rituals.

Meanwhile, the Hurghada Museum is exhibiting a double limestone statue of the deities Osiris and his wife Isis as she embraces her husband, who is seated on the throne. 

The statue dates back to the Third Intermediate Period. Goddess Isis is an icon of love and sacrifice in the ancient Egyptian civilisation.

The Cairo International Airport Museum is putting on show a round bronze mirror, which was dedicated to the deities of love and beauty, such as Aphrodite and Hathor. The back of the mirror is decorated with interwoven floral and geometric motifs, dating back to the seventh century AH.

The Gayer Anderson Museum is displaying a marble fountain shaped after a swan's head. The swan was a symbol of love in ancient times, and was reused since the Renaissance period, in relation to the god Zeus, who disguised himself as a swan to reach his beloved Leda, according to the famous Greek myth.

The Ismailia Archaeology Museum is showcasing a pottery vessel from the Graeco-Roman period in the form of a human face that was used to store perfumes. 

The Sohag National Museum is putting on display a sandstone statue from the New Kingdom depicting seated husband and wife. The woman's hand is laid behind her husband's back, indicating the extension of her support and love.

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