Egypt has put on a massive parade in its capital of Cairo to commemorate the move of 22 mummies to a new museum.

According to the BBC, The Pharaoh's Golden Parade took place on April 3, and saw a total of 18 kings and four queens, who have been dead for more than 3,000 years, moved over five kilometres, from the Egyptian Museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

It was also streamed online by the country's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Transported within nitrogen-filled capsules placed in elaborate vehicles

All of the mummies were transported in a convoy that was arranged in chronological order of their reigns, from Seqenenre Taa II, who ruled sometime between 1560 BC to 1550 BC, to Ramses IX, who reigned in the 12th century BC.

Aljazeera reported that the mummies were placed within special capsules that were filled with nitrogen for their protection.

These capsules were then placed in vehicles equipped with special shock-absorbers and designed to appear as the ancient boats that had once carried the deceased pharaohs to their tombs.

The vehicles were in turn surrounded by a motorcade that included a replica of war chariots.

Roads were also repaved to ensure a smooth journey.

A professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, Salima Ikram, was quoted as saying that Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities had done their best to pack and preserve the mummies within a climate-controlled environment.

21-gun salute and musical performance accompany procession

Reuters reported that the procession included a 21-gun salute, with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi standing by as the convoy passed.

Dignitaries such as the heads of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO and the World Tourism Organisation were also present at the ceremony.

Meanwhile, a musical performance featuring 120 musicians and 100 singers was also conducted to help mark the occasion, Egypt Today further reported.

Social media talk of "Curse of the pharaohs" dismissed

The period before the parade also featured speculation about the "Curse of the pharaohs" on Egyptian social media in light of the Suez Canal incident, as well as a recent train crash in Upper Egypt and the death of at least 18 people in building collapse in Cairo.

However, these were quickly dismissed by Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who was quoted by NBC News as saying:

"Before the mummies will be walking today in the streets of Cairo things happened in Egypt: the boat in the Suez Canal, also the trains had an accident and a building collapsed. Everyone says this is the curse of the mummy, but I say there is no curse of the mummy. The curse is good for TV, for movies and newspapers, but it's not true. There's no curse at all."

Mummies were discovered in the 19th century

All of the mummies were discovered in the 19th century, in two batches in 1881 and 1898 at a complex of mortuary temples in Luxor.

They were then moved to the Egyptian Museum where they were housed for the past 100 years, according to BBC.

Egypt is keen for the new museum to help revitalise the country's tourism industry, which is a key source of foreign currency, but has suffered blows in recent years as a result of political instability and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Top image collage left photo from Experience Egypt Facebook, right photo by Mahmoud KHALED / AFP via Getty Images