A traveling exhibition featuring the greatest treasures of Ancient Egypt, "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" has been open to the public since April 07 at the Grande Halle de la Villette in the heart of Paris. With more than 180 objects, many of which have never left Egypt, the exhibition paints a striking picture of the country's former golden age.
Considered the greatest king ever to rule Egypt, Ramses boasted a reign of 67 years, the second longest in Egyptian history. Bold in war and peace, Ramses expanded Egypt's territory and signed the earliest known peace treaty with the Hittites in 1271 BC. This consolidation led to unprecedented construction of cities and monuments, often to his own glory.
There may have been 11 other pharaohs named Ramses, but "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs," the exhibition opening in Paris, demonstrates that the pharaoh who achieved demigod-like status during his lifetime needs no identification. The exhibition is the third stop on a five-year, 17-city world tour, which has already stopped at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It continues in Paris through September XNUMX.
A dive into ancient Egypt
Conceived as a collaboration between the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt and World Heritage Exhibitions, the exhibition "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" features numerous treasures directly related to Ramses, including a colossal red granite statue of the pharaoh's head, one of his many gold rings, and painted reliefs celebrating his military victories.
Indeed, nearly 181 unique objects illustrate this exhibition, some of which come from the collections of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir dating from the time of King Ramses II, others from the discoveries of the Egyptian mission in the Bubastion area at Saqqara. They highlight the distinctive characteristics of ancient Egyptian civilization, especially in the Middle Ages, the modern period and even the late period, through a collection of statues, ornaments, cosmetics, paintings, stone blocks decorated with inscriptions and statues of deities in the form of birds and animals, as well as some colorful wooden coffins.
More broadly, the exhibition presents a view of the world Ramses inhabited, sculpted, and inspired. Space is devoted to the tomb of the royal tomb builder Sennedjem, a collection of mummified animals found in the Saqqara necropolis, and treasures discovered in the royal tombs of Dahshur and Tanis. This is also the first time that the "Coffin of the Mummy of King Ramses II" has been exhibited outside Egypt, in recognition of the role played by French scientists in the restoration and treatment of King Ramses II's mummy in 1976.
The collection is one of the most impressive displays of ancient Egyptian culture ever exhibited in France, illustrating the pharaonic grandeur of Ramses II with spectacular and immersive installations. Some objects are over 3,000 years old and are being exhibited for the first time outside of Egypt.
The exhibition also draws on contemporary technologies to bring historical artifacts and events to life. Drone footage and computer animations were used to recreate the ancient splendor of Ramses's memorial temple, photomurals are projected onto the walls, and there is a multimedia reenactment of the Battle of Kadesh, a chariot battle from 1274 BCE, widely considered the pharaoh's greatest military feat. A VR experience is also available for visitors.
An epic collection
Among the items on display until September 6 is the restored funerary mask of the Egyptian king Amenemope. It's an absolutely extraordinary object, extremely fragile, extremely well restored, because originally this mask rested on a wooden core that has disappeared. So it was necessary to reconstruct the support without damaging the gold leaf. And then it's an absolutely extraordinary object. It's hard to believe that this object is even there. " said curator Dominique Farout.
« So here we have some pretty remarkable examples of jewelry that could be found in the classical period of ancient Egypt. We're around 2000 BC, and this is the golden age of this type of jewelry called cloisonné. This means that we have a whole network of gold leaves in which precious stones are included. So we have, for example, turquoise, lapis lazuli, amethyst, so stones that were considered by the Egyptians to be eminently precious. " explains Bénédicte Lhoyer, a specialist in Ancient Egypt.
Dozens of royal masks, jewelry, amulets, and sarcophagi demonstrate the excellence of Egyptian craftsmanship in art and goldsmithing. An 1946th Dynasty ring bearing the image of Queen Nefertiti, a limestone giant representing Ramses II, a gold mask discovered in 1550 at the archaeological site of Tanis, a gold and pearl necklace dating back to XNUMX BCE, and a thousand-year-old perfume are among the extremely precious objects on display during your visit.
« This exhibition will highlight the pivotal moments that earned the great pharaoh his place in history, while also introducing visitors to some absolutely stunning Egyptian artifacts. " said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The pinnacle of all treasures, the sarcophagus of King Ramses II is on display there, as part of a rare loan from Egypt to France... for the first time in 45 years, his colorful cedar coffin has left Egypt to be displayed in Paris.
A springboard for Egyptian tourism
Around 10 people a day are expected to visit the "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition to discover the 000 artifacts from Ancient Egypt. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism said it expects the number of French visitors to Egypt to increase by 181 percent due to the renewed interest in ancient civilization.
Mohamed Othman, director of Egypt's cultural tourism marketing committee, said the exhibition uses virtual reality to showcase destinations in Egypt and is a golden opportunity to promote Egypt to Europeans. He noted that more than 140 tickets had been sold before the exhibition's launch.
During the opening ceremony, the exhibition received a large number of visitors who wanted to visit it during its opening. Ahmed Al-Sheikh, head of a major tourism company, emphasized the importance of similar exhibitions abroad. According to him, they contribute to building cultural bridges between Egypt and host countries, particularly France, where people have a great appreciation for ancient Egyptian civilization.
Visitor information
RAMSES & THE GOLD OF THE PHARAOHS – Exhibition from April 7 to September 6, 2023
Grande Halle de la Villette - 211, avenue Jean Jaurès 75019 Paris – France
Exhibition opening hours : Every day from 10 a.m. to 19 p.m. – Last session at 17:30 p.m.
Tickets on sale on: www.expo-ramses.com – Tickets are available on site only at the dedicated exhibition ticket offices at the Grande Halle ticket office located outside, to the right of the exhibition entrance doors.
Pricing Dated ticket: Adult: 24 euros - Child aged 4 to 14: 20 euros - Free for children under 4 - Groups and CSE (greater than or equal to 20 people): 22 euros – PSH: 22 euros
Open ticket: Adult/child: 32 euros – Free for children under 4 years old – Groups and CSE (greater than or equal to 20 people): 30 euros
Guided tour: Adult: 38 euros – Child from 4 to 14 years old: 34 euros – Groups (greater than or equal to 20 people): 36 euros – CSE: 36 euros – PSH: 36 euros – Virtual reality experience: 15 euros – Audio guide: 7 euros.
Patrick Koune
Photos: Patrick Koune
