Cairo The Egyptian Museum (10/16/2023)

Monday, October 16, 2023 (continued)

Bus station control tower?

Statue of Abdel Moneim Riad, a general and
chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, who
commanded the Jordanian Armed Forces in the
1967 Six-Day War and later commanded Egyptian
forces in the War of Attrition, during which he was
killed along with several of his aides in 1969

Next stop on the included excursion was The Egyptian Museum.

The Egyptian Museum was decreed in 1835 by Muhammed Ali
in an attempt to put an end to the export of antiquities;
this is the fifth building to house the museum (1897-1902,
by Marcel Dourgnon in Neoclassical style)

Statue (Late Period c 746-332 BCE in Karnak)
of Amenhotep, son of Hapu, in pink granite

Wall panel relief (c 30 BCE-364 CE)
of Horos, a Roman Egyptian in Nubia

This is only a copy of the Rosetta Stone,
the original is the British Museum, London

Bust (undated) of Greco-Egyptian god Serapis, flanked
by Roman busts of a young man and immortal lady

Cedar second coffin and implements of Ahmose Merytamun,
sister and queen of Amunhotep I (c 1525-1504 BCE) (KSS)

Queen Ahmose Merytamun was accompanied
by a "small" army

Detail of the head of the sarcophagus; she is
holding a lotus flower, a sign of royalty (KSS)

Gilded death masks of nobles Thuya and Yuya

Chariot of Yuya, probably ceremonial (KSS)

Mummy of Yuya

Mummy of Yuya's wife, Thuya

The 16 m/52' long scroll, the second longest from Egypt (KSS)

Detail of the scroll written in hieratic,
a script derived from hieroglyphs, with illustrations

We were able to see many of the treasures (including the gold death mask) discovered in the tomb of King Tutankhamen (c 1336-1327 BCE), but no photography was allowed. Eventually all 5,000 of the treasures will be moved and displayed at the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is still not open.

The outer case for the alabaster canopic
jars that held the organs of King Tut,
with four goddesses protecting it

The alabaster case holds the canopic jars,
each with a top in the shape of a head
of a goddess; carved goddesses embrace
each corner of the case for protection

King Tut had three gilded coffins in his stone sarcophagus

Anubis, the jackal god, is the guardian of the necropolis;
this version was found in King Tut's tomb

Bust of Queen Hatshepsut

Statue of King Sobekemsaf I in red granite;
royalty were portrayed with the left foot forward,
according to our guide; also note the nemes/
headdress made to mimic a cobra with a flared hood

Statue of King Montuhotep II wearing
the red crown of Lower Egypt; it was
discovered by Howard Carter when
the ground gave way under his horse

There is always a discussion as to whether the sculptures are idealized or realistic. The statue of King Montuhotep II has exceptionally enlarged lower legs, but it was later found that he had elephantiasis. Thus this sculpture is realistic...

Khafre Enthroned (c 2570 BCE) is made
of anorthosite gneiss (related to diorite),
a stone harder than marble or granite

Since diorite was used to carve softer stones, one questions how diorite was carved.

King Khafre is protected by a falcon
representing the god Horus (KSS)

A triad sculpted from black schist shows
King Menkaure wearing the crown of
Upper Egypt, with the goddess Hathor
with cow horns and a sun disk on her head,
and a personification of one of the provinces
with symbols of the district on the head

Meidum Geese panel of painted plaster (KSS)

Detail includes Branta ruficollis/Red-breasted Geese;
however, none of the geese depicted are known to be in Egypt

Colossus of Amenhotep IV (c 1351-1334 BCE)
is sculpted in an exaggerated style

Life-size cow statue representing the
goddess Hathor from whom the son of
King Tuthmosis III drinks milk and he
also stands under her chin

Next: Khan el-Kahlili Market.