Today was museum day in Cairo starting with the Egyptian Museum and then heading to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Suffice it to say, I’m glad there is no exam. From the Old Kingdom (2500 BC approx) to the Muhammad Ali Dynasty (the founder of modern Egypt, not the boxer; 19th to 20th Century), we were immersed in Egyptian history. Today was a great precursor to our upcoming visit to the Valley of the Kings in Luxor (fka Thebes) because many of the royals originally buried there are now in the Royal Mummies Hall at the NME and King Tutankhamen is at the Egyptian Museum.

How these Pharaohs were preserved, buried, robbed, discovered and ultimately transported to their resting places in 2024 is fascinating.

The Royal Mummies Hall’s most famous mummies are Hatshepsut (pronounced “Hat Cheap Suit” or alternatively, “hot chicken soup”) [Pronunciations provided by our guide, Sharif]; Thutmore, Ramses and Seti I and II. Plus many more, all with their own stories.

It’s worth noting the highlight of the EM was the King Tut exhibit, but the museum has other note worthy exhibits from the ancient world including the mummies of YuYa and Thuya who were originally buried in the Valley of the Kings (not because they were royalty, but because their daughter, Tiye, was queen to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Tiye’s son was Pharaoh Akhenaten who was Tutankhamen’s father). Hey, I don’t know my family tree that well so please forgive any issues you have with this genealogy.

We did not visit the new GEM (Great Egyptian Museum) out at the pyramid complex. It’s not yet fully open and we did not have a booking. These Cairo museums had more than enough.

Suggested reading on the link between Highclere Castle near London (the Real Downton Abbey) and the most famous of the Pharaoh’s (Tutankhamen), see “The Earl and the Pharaoh, From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamen” by the current Countess of Carnarvon. Pretty fascinating guy was “Lordy” (as the crews he worked with in Egypt called him) who financially backed Howard Carter and worked alongside him for 10-15 years in the Valley of the Kings before the Tutankhamen burial site was discovered. Carnarvon and Carter received license to work in the Valley of the Kings only after it was abandoned by an American treasurer hunter, Theodore Davis, who declared there was nothing more to find there. Carnarvon was also interested in horse-racing, automobiles, early aviation and gambling.

If interested, also watch The Pharaoh’s Golden Parade available on You Tube showing the grand arrival of the mummies at NMEC.