The Australian Museum is now showcasing an exclusive blockbuster Egyptian collection worth $1.6 Billion in its new exhibition "Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs," which has already pre-sold above 100,000 tickets before it even opened this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Over 180 Egyptian artifacts are featured in the traveling exhibition which includes 3,000-year-old sarcophagi, mummified animals, ornate tomb treasures, and varying pieces of jewelry displaying the workmanship of ancient Egyptian artisans, all of which have traveled from Egypt through a passage in Paris.
The "crown jewel" of the exhibition is the 6-foot-tall royal coffin of Ramses II, the third ruler of the Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasty, found in the "Valley of the Kings" in modern-day Luxor, Egypt. This centerpiece makes its public showcase debut, outside of Egypt, in the Australian Museum.
"Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs" was financed by the global immersive technology company NEON with help from its subsidiary, World Heritage Exhibitions, who reportedly paid an undisclosed lending fee to the Egyptian government, as explained by Troy Collins, the executive vice-president of WHE, in a statement to The Guardian.
TOPSHOT - A photograph taken on April 6, 2023 shows the sarcophagus of pharaoh Ramses II (and its reflection) displayed on the opening day of the exhibition titled "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" (Ramses et l'or des pharaons) at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris. - The exhibition, which is on tour in 10 cities and explores the life of Ramses the Great, runs until September 6, 2023 in Paris.
Made Possible by Dr. Zahi Hawass, 'Number 1 Egyptologist'
The exhibit's Australian Museum appearance was the product of Egypt's famous archaeologist, Dr. Zahi Hawass, who was also the country's former Minister of Antiquities under Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule. Following a change to an Islamist government in 2011, Hawass was removed from his position.
Hawass has made a name for himself as the world's most famous Egyptologist through a cavalcade of TV documentaries, books, and even a currently streaming Netflix show called "Unkown: The Lost Pyramid."
Currently, Hawass holds the title of official curator for the Ramses showcase. According to a statement made by Hawass, he is planning a trip to Sydney come April in order to hold a lecture regarding stolen Egyptian artifacts.
This is part of Hawass' efforts to convince major collecting institutions all over the globe to give back important and cultural Egyptian antiquities including the famous "Rosetta Stone" held in the British Museum in London, the "Bust of Nefertiti" currently housed in the Neues Museum of Berlin, and the "Dendera Zodiac" showcased at the Louvre in Paris.
The "Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition will remain in Sydney's Australian Museum until May 19.
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