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■ Broadcast: JTBC Morning & / Progress: Lee Jung-heon
The movement of the 22 mummies of ancient Egypt’s supreme ruler Pharaoh and queens to a new museum took place in Egypt. On the 3rd, this event, held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, was named’The Golden Parade of Pharaohs’. The 18th pharaoh mummy and 4th queen mummy, which were kept in a museum located in central Cairo, have been moved to the newly built National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in the southern Putat region. Prof. Salima Ikram, a famous mummy expert, says the pharaoh’s move to the Fustat region is also of great significance. Let’s listen to it yourself.
[살리마 이크람/카이로 아메리칸대 이집트학 교수 : (파라오 미라들은) 기존에 있던 박물관에서 조금 더 시설이 잘 갖춰진 새로운 박물관으로 가기 위해 마지막 여행을 떠납니다. 옛 이집트의 수도였던 ‘알푸스타트’ 지역으로 돌아가는 것이기도 합니다. 그래서 더욱 감동적인 일이 될 것 같습니다.]
The Pharaoh Mummy was transported for a distance of about 5 km on a truck equipped with a special thermostat. The shape of the truck is modeled after the wooden ship that carried the pharaoh mummy to the tomb in ancient Egypt. Police escorts followed throughout the trip, followed by a car parade of Egyptian celebrities and entertainers. Upon arrival at the new museum, a welcoming ritual was fired. Egypt’s President Elsiesi also came out to meet the pharaoh mummies. This splendid event was broadcast live at home and abroad through Egyptian national TV. Egyptian authorities are known to have spent nearly three years preparing for the pre-Pharaoh Mummy event. It is analyzed as part of an effort to promote Egyptian antiquities and attract foreign tourists. I would like to hear from Zahi Hawas, former Minister of Antiquities to Egypt and a renowned archaeologist.
[자히 하와스/전 이집트 고대유물부 장관 : 우리는 파라오 미라 이전 행사를 통해 이집트가 안전하다고 사람들에게 말할 것입니다. 관광객들이 돌아와야 합니다. 코로나19는 아무 것도 아닐 것입니다. 파라오 미라가 그 모든 것들을 막을 것이고 그렇게 하고 있기 때문입니다. 카이로에는 여전히 신비와 마법이 존재하고 있습니다.]
Let’s take a closer look at the event before the Pharaoh Mummy, prepared by the Egyptian authorities. In-Taek Chae Connected to the JoongAng Ilbo by telephone.
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18 mummies of the pharaoh and 4 mummies of the queen have been moved. Ramses II’s mummy, well known to us, was also transported this time, right?
That’s right. Ramses II would call Egypt the most famous pharaoh, reigning over 67 years, the longest Egyptian pharaoh. I have fought a lot of different wars my entire life. I signed a peace treaty with the neighboring Hitahit, the Kadesh Treaty. This is the first official peace treaty made by mankind. If you go to the UN Headquarters, you can see a replica of it. And if you look at it, he left his figure in Egyptian architecture by carving the figure of his family in a huge temple. Another famous thing is the pharaoh related to Moses’ escape from Egypt in the Old Testament, and several candidates are mentioned, and he is also the most influential person among them. In addition, the Mira of Hatshepsut, the second female monarch in Egypt’s history, also participated in the march this time. Seeing that women play pharaohs? It was an age of prejudice, so I made such a stone statue that wore a fake beard and displayed it now. And there is a pharaoh named Tutumosis III, who went on 17 military expeditions in his lifetime and was nicknamed the Warrior Pharaoh. All 22 of these people and their wives, this time Mira moved to a new museum.
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As previously mentioned, the Egyptian authorities are expecting a revival of the tourism industry through this event. The tourism industry occupies a very large portion of Egypt’s national economy, and it has been hit hard by Corona 19, right?
That’s right. Tourism is the most important part of Egypt’s economy. It has accounted for 11% of GDP and 14.5% of foreign currency acquisitions. It is the largest tourist destination in the world, with nearly 20 million visitors annually. But the important thing is that Europe and the United States, which are the closest and most visited, were hit by a direct hit this time. That is why Egypt is the country whose economy has been shaken the most due to Corona, but in the post-corona era, it is necessary to somehow create the tourism industry first, and this will can be seen at this event.
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I heard that in Egypt, voices were also raised against the pre-Pharaoh event. Recently, there was a case of a ship aground on the Suez Canal. It is said that major accidents such as train collisions have occurred one after another, so this event caused the curse of the pharaoh. what do you think?
It’s a very absurd story. The fact that the pharaoh’s curse came out came from excavating the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen in the 1920s. In fact, before that, in the early 20th century, the imperialist nations went to their home country with relics from Egypt. So I thought a lot of strange things when I saw the mummy. The most embarrassing thing is that the Titanic was sunk in 1912, and this is also the curse of a mummy. And there is no scientific problem with the curse of the pharaoh, and an Egyptian scholar named Zahi Hawas, who had been digging the cemetery for a very long time, said. I have dug dozens of Egyptian cemeteries in my life and excavated mummies, and so far nothing has happened. The same goes for my colleagues. I said this. Well, it seems that this time, the Egyptian mummy and pharaoh has been promoted to the tourism industry around the world.
Some point out that what the Egyptian authorities should care about is not the curse of the pharaohs, but the bounty of the country. The New York Times reported that during the splendid procession, not only were nearby slums thoroughly covered with large soundproof walls, but also slums who wanted to see the event were denied entry and had to return. He pointed out, “The slums shrouded in ornate processions are a reminder of the break between the glorious Egypt’s past and the volatile present.”