The sarcophagus of Ramses II, one of ancient Egypt’s most prominent pharaohs, will return to Paris for the first time in 50 years to be displayed in a five-month exhibition that launches in April.
The elaborately decorated coffin will be placed alongside dozens of other ancient Egyptian relics as part of the touring Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition organised by the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
The exhibition will travel to San Francisco and Houston before heading to Paris and then Sydney. But the sarcophagus will only be shown on the Paris leg of the trip, which ends on September 6. It will then be flown back to Egypt.
The French embassy in Egypt said the rare loan of Ramses II’s sarcophagus was only allowed through a special exception made for France.
Dominique Farout, an Egyptologist who is the exhibition's scientific commissioner, told AFP that the exception was granted because France is where the sarcophagus and the mummy it once housed were treated for fungus when they were last on display there in 1976.
Though the mummy was also displayed back then, it will not be leaving Egypt for this year’s show because of amendments to the country’s antiquities law that prohibits its departure.
The wooden sarcophagus depicts Ramses laid on his back, dressed in bright colours with his arms crossed over his chest, a common funereal position for ancient Egyptian royals.
He is holding his sceptre in one hand and whip of office in the other.
The king’s eyes are outlined in black and the vivid colours on the coffin show clearly the stripes of his pharaonic headdress.
Ramses II’s first visit to Paris was a huge success, which the organisers are hoping to repeat.
Known as Ramses the Great, he is one of the most celebrated figures of ancient Egypt.
“I almost wept for joy that I would be seeing him again here when they told me he was coming to Paris,” Mr Farout said.
Alongside the sarcophagus, the exhibition will also include solid gold and silver jewels, statues, amulets, masks, other sarcophagi and mummified animal remains, which the law does allow to leave Egypt.
A 2019 exhibition in Paris displaying the treasures of another prominent ancient Egyptian pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, attracted 1.4 million visitors.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
more from Janine di Giovanni
GAC GS8 Specs
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
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Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
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Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5