Promotional material of the exhibition The Civilization of Ancient Egypt which will be held at the Shanghai Museum in East China in July, 2024 Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Museum

The fourth exhibition in the Shanghai Museum's A Dialogue with the World series of cultural and archaeological exhibitions, The Civilization of Ancient Egypt, held a promotional event on Monday.

The exhibition, jointly organized by the Shanghai Museum and Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, will officially kick off at the Shanghai Museum on July 18 and open to the public on July 19.

According to the organizers, the exhibition will be one of the largest exhibitions of Ancient Egyptian artifacts ever globally. The exhibition will last nearly 13 months, continuing until August 17, 2025.

Zhong Xiaomin, director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, noted that the exhibition not only represents a dialogue between two ancient civilizations but also embodies the vision of continuing traditional friendships and embarking on new journeys.

She expressed hope that the Shanghai Museum would take this opportunity to continuously strengthen academic research exchanges focused on ancient civilizations, joint overseas archaeology, and contribute Chinese experience and wisdom to showcasing the precious cultural relics of ancient civilizations and protecting world cultural heritage.

Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the exhibition demonstrates the profound historical connections between China and Egypt reflected in the interactions between the two countries and the exchanges between their peoples, who have endured for thousands of years.

The exhibition gathers 788 precious artifacts from different periods of Ancient Egyptian civilization, including statues of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Amenemhat III, and Ramses II, complete sets of mummy coffins, and newly discovered painted wooden coffins, animal mummies, and statues from the Saqqara region. Over 95 percent of the artifacts will be shown in Asia for the first time, unveiling Ancient Egyptian civilization to visitors.

Global Times