The National Museum in Prague ceremoniously opened the most unique exhibition in its history - about ancient Egypt. Although a lot of people see Egypt as a popular vacation spot, where one can enjoy warm weather and azure sea, for many years, this country has been attractive mainly for archaeologists from all over the world. Ancient Egypt still holds many secrets, its civilization has been evolving for more than 3,000 years, and even now, we keep drawing from its maturity in various areas from culture through art to philosophy or lifestyle.
The Sun Kings exhibition takes visitors back to the oldest period of the Egyptian Empire, to the time of the ancient pyramid builders. Through a never-before-exhibited collection of almost 300 rare objects of incalculable value, almost 5,000 years old, the exhibition will transport its visitors to the earliest times of ancient Egyptian civilization and, with the help of modern multimedia technologies and unique architecture, allow them to experience the atmosphere of the great Egyptian kings.
A dream come true for the National Museum
Never before have so many significant artifacts been borrowed from Egypt abroad, as for the Sun Kings exhibition.
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"The Sun Kings exhibition is not only a fulfilled dream of the National Museum and several generations of Czech Egyptologists, but also one of the most important exhibitions organized by the National Museum during its entire existence,"
boasts Michal Lukeš, director of the National Museum, adding that some objects have never left Egypt, where they are carefully stored. Many of them have been borrowed from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Great Egyptian Museum in Giza, the museums in Berlin, Leipzig, Hanover, Heidelberg, Hildesheim and Frankfurt am Main. Also on display are objects that the National Museum acquired as a Czechoslovak stake in the finds made by the expedition of Charles University in Abusir.
The entire life of the Egyptians on display
You'll immediately be drawn to the greatest treasures from the 3rd to the 1st millennium BC, presided over by completely unique royal statues of King Raneferef, which represent one of the largest surviving sets of royal sculptures of the Old Kingdom.
There is also an extensive collection of statues of Princess Sheretnebtej and the scribe Nefer on display. Of other items, we can name stone vessels, pottery, texts or reliefs from the royal complexes of the rulers of Abusir.
Open in gallery (2)
Muž z Abussíru je pět tisíc let stará soška. Source: archiv LP-life.cz/Karolína Lišková
"I don't like to choose individual objects, the exhibition is unique through the complete set of objects, but I'd probably point out a statue of King Raneferef, one of the pyramid builders. Egyptologists value it the most,"
said Lukeš.
The insurance is worth billions of crowns
The collection has incalculable value, it's said that the items cannot even be traded. Therefore, the total insured value of the items is 1 billion crowns.
The most historically valuable discoveries of the Czech expedition in Abusir uncoubtedly include the temple complex of King Raneferef with one of the largest collections of royal statues from the time of the pyramid builders and its unique papyrus archive describing the cult and operation of his temple.
Open in gallery (2)
Lidé mají o výstavu velký zájem. Source: archiv Národního muzea
"People are unexpectedly interested in the exhibition, and we're happy about it,"
said Lukes. The exhibition in the historic building of the National Museum will run until February 7, 2021.
