Last weekend the mummies of 22 of the ancient kings and queens of Egypt were finally transferred from the Egyptian Museum in the heart of Cairo to their new home, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat, the first capital city of Muslim Egypt. Their voyage had been delayed several times. The big day was originally slated for 27 November 2020, and downtown Cairo had been re-painted, re-lit, and re-planted in anticipation. Midan Tahrir, the city’s main square, had been given
an ancient obelisk and sphinxes earlier in the year, and was decorated with viewing stands and triumphal arches for the parade. Midnight rehearsals for the ‘Golden Parade’ disrupted residents’ sleep for weeks, before it was postponed at short notice – downtown gossip had it that it clashed with two Egyptian football teams going head to head in the African Champions League the same night. The decorations were quietly dismantled in December.