Pharaoh Ramses II's Sarcophagus Loaned to Major Exhibit in Paris

The sarcophagus of Ramses II - one of the greatest pharaohs and warriors known from ancient Egyptian history - will be loaned out to a major exhibition  as it makes its way to Paris, France. 'Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs' is an archaeological exhibition that has been touring the world since 2021, but it is only in Paris - from April 2023 to September 2023 - where the sarcophagus will be displayed, due to a special exception by Egyptian authorities.

The exception was made in recognition of the French scientists who treated Ramses II's mummy for mould. The exception was also made in honour of the last and only time Ramses II's cedar wood sarcophagus had been in France; in 1976, the sarcophagus was opened at the Grand Palais in Paris during a blockbuster exhibition.

This time, nearly 50 years later, the sarcophagus will be empty, due to a law that bans royal mummies from being taken out of Egypt.

While it is the sarcophagus that the mummy of Ramses II was found in at Deir el-Bahri in 1881, it is not the one the pharaoh was initially buried in. During the end of the New Kingdom, the king's body had been moved at least three times since his tomb at the Valley of the Kings had been plundered.

The 'Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs' exhibit will present almost 200 artefacts including jewels, amulets and other sarcophagi, and will be on display at Paris's Grande Halle de la Villette from April 7th to September 6th.