Majestic Cairo Parade as Egyptian Mummies Move Museum

FILE PHOTO: Men pass in front of poster for pharaohs golden parade after the renovation of Tahrir Square for transferring 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, amidst the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cairo, Egypt, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Men pass in front of poster for pharaohs golden parade after the renovation of Tahrir Square for transferring 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, amidst the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cairo, Egypt, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
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Majestic Cairo Parade as Egyptian Mummies Move Museum

FILE PHOTO: Men pass in front of poster for pharaohs golden parade after the renovation of Tahrir Square for transferring 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, amidst the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cairo, Egypt, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Men pass in front of poster for pharaohs golden parade after the renovation of Tahrir Square for transferring 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, amidst the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cairo, Egypt, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

A grand parade will convey 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies in specially designed capsules across the capital Cairo on Saturday to a new museum home where they can be displayed in greater splendor.

The convoy will transport 18 kings and four queens, mostly from the New Kingdom, from the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, about 5km (3 miles) to the south-east.

Authorities are shutting down roads along the Nile for the elaborate ceremony, designed to drum up interest in Egypt’s rich collections of antiquities when tourism has almost entirely stalled because of COVID-19 related restrictions.

Each mummy will be placed in a special capsule filled with nitrogen to ensure protection, and the capsules will be carried on carts designed to cradle them and provide stability, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said, Reuters reported.

“We chose the Civilization Museum because we want, for the first time, to display the mummies in a civilized manner, an educated manner, and not for amusement as they were in the Egyptian Museum,” he said.

Archaeologists discovered the mummies in two batches at the complex of mortuary temples of Deir Al Bahari in Luxor and at the nearby Valley of the Kings from 1871.

The oldest is that of Seqenenre Tao, the last king of the 17th Dynasty, who reigned in the 16th century BC and is thought to have met a violent death.

The parade will also include the mummies of Ramses II, Seti I, and Ahmose-Nefertari.

Fustat was the site of Egypt’s capital under the Umayyad dynasty after the Arab conquest.

“By doing it like this, with great pomp and circumstance, the mummies are getting their due,” said Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist at the American University in Cairo.

“These are the kings of Egypt, these are the pharaohs. And so, it is a way of showing respect.”



Australian Man Dies from Bat Bite

Fruit bats are known to carry Australian bat lyssavirus, but it is not known what species delivered the fatal bite. JOHN WILSON / AFP/File
Fruit bats are known to carry Australian bat lyssavirus, but it is not known what species delivered the fatal bite. JOHN WILSON / AFP/File
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Australian Man Dies from Bat Bite

Fruit bats are known to carry Australian bat lyssavirus, but it is not known what species delivered the fatal bite. JOHN WILSON / AFP/File
Fruit bats are known to carry Australian bat lyssavirus, but it is not known what species delivered the fatal bite. JOHN WILSON / AFP/File

An Australian man has died from an "extremely rare" rabies-like infection transmitted by a bat bite, health officials said Thursday.

The man in his 50s was bitten by a bat carrying Australian bat lyssavirus several months ago, the health service in New South Wales said.

"We express our sincere condolences to the man's family and friends for their tragic loss," NSW Health said in a statement.

"While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it."

The man from northern New South Wales, who has not been identified, was this week listed as being in a "critical condition" in hospital, said AFP.

The virus -- a close relative to rabies, which does not exist in Australia -- is transmitted when bat saliva enters the human body through a bite or scratch.

First symptoms can take days or years to appear.

Early signs of the disease are flu-like -- a headache, fever and fatigue, the health service said.

The victim's condition rapidly deteriorates, leading to paralysis, delirium, convulsions and death.

There were only three previous cases of human infection by Australian bat lyssavirus since it was first identified in 1996 -- all of them fatal.

People should avoid touching or handling bats, as any bat in Australia could carry lyssavirus, the New South Wales health service said.

"If you or someone you know is bitten or scratched by a bat, you need to wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes right away with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with anti-virus action," it said.

"Patients then require treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine."

The virus has been found in species of flying foxes and insect-eating microbats, NSW Health said.

The type of bat involved in the latest fatality has not been identified.