Some of the most famous mummies in the world were found in Egypt, having been excavated from Luxor's Valley of the Kings.
Now the mummified remains of 22 ancient Egyptian kings and queens will be paraded through Cairo's streets on Saturday, in a royal procession dubbed the Pharaohs' Golden Parade.
The event is the culmination of the Ministry of Antiquities' colossal revamp of the display of its archaeological discoveries.
Its impressive mummy collection is being relocated from the 119-year-old Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square to the National Egyptian Civilisation Museum in Egypt's medieval capital Fustat.
The mummies of 18 kings and four queens will travel on themed floats in order from the oldest – with Seqenenre Tao II, who reigned over southern Egypt around 1,600BC, leading the procession.
The 12th-century BC ruler Ramses IX will come in last.
Ramses II and Hatshepsut will also make the journey.
Most of the mummies have been on display in a small room in the Egyptian Museum since the 1950s.
They will now be displayed in a purpose-built environment, each with a sarcophagus.
Egypt will also inaugurate another museum near the Giza pyramids in coming months, which will house the mummy of perhaps the most famous pharaoh, Tutankhamun.
Here we look at seven famous mummies discovered in Egypt over the past 100 years.
1. Tutankhamun
In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy of pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.
Despite several apparent grave robberies, the tomb was crammed with ancient treasures, including jewellery, gilded shrines and a solid gold funerary mask.
The discovery prompted a worldwide fascination with Egyptology.
After decades of speculating whether the child king was murdered, a computer analysis using wave penetration proved that he had died from injuries sustained while hunting.
King Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine and ruled for approximately 10 years.
The discovery of his tomb sparked the myth of the mummy's curse when Carter's partner and financier, Lord Carnarvon, died of an infected mosquito bite several months later.
2. Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was one of the most prominent female figures in Egyptian history, establishing new trade routes and undertaking ambitious building projects before dying in her 50s in 1458BC after a reign of nearly two decades.
The widowed queen of the pharaoh Thutmose II, she was made regent after his death, according to custom, in 1479BC to rule for her young stepson, Thutmose III, until he came of age.
Within a few years, however, she proclaimed herself pharaoh. She was also discovered by Carter, in 1902, but her sarcophagus, unlike Tutankhamun's, was empty.
Carter unearthed a separate tomb that contained two coffins – one of the queen's wet nurse and another of an unidentified woman. In 2006, Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Zahi Hawass and his team sought to determine whether the other woman could be the missing queen.
A molar tooth found in a wooden box bearing Hatshepsut’s name was a perfect fit to a gap in the mummy’s upper jaw, leading Dr Hawass to conclude that the search for Hatshepsut was over.
3. Thutmose III
Thutmose III was the son of Thutmose II; his mother was one of the king’s secondary wives or a lesser harem queen, named Isis.
Thutmose III wasted no time making a name for himself, once he was out from under the shadow of the regent-turned-pharaoh Hatshepsut.
A few months after coming to power, Thutmose III marched with an army of 20,000 soldiers to Megiddo, in modern-day northern Israel – a site better known by its Greek name, Armageddon. Scribes travelled with Thutmose III’s forces and recorded the campaign’s details, an invaluable chronicle now known as the Annals of Thutmose III.
He established a reputation as a brilliant military strategist, by transforming Egypt from an inward-looking kingdom into a triumphant, conquering nation. Historians called him the "Napoleon of Egypt".
4. Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek) was a pharaoh of the New Kingdom 19th Dynasty of Egypt, the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II.
In the early years of his reign, Seti led his army north to restore Egyptian prestige, which had been partly lost during the troubled years of the late 18th Dynasty.
He battled in northern Palestine and Syria and fought at least one battle with the Hittite king Muwatallis. He then concluded a peace treaty that may have established the frontier at Kadesh on the Orontes River between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains.
Seti fortified Egypt's frontier, opened mines and quarries, dug wells and rebuilt temples and shrines that had fallen into decay or been damaged. He also took over the construction of the great Karnak temple, begun by his father.
Seti's tomb is described as the finest discovered in the Valley of the Kings.
5. Ramesses II
Also known as Ramesses the Great, he was one of the most well-known Egyptian pharaohs because of his campaigns and numerous monuments.
Because of the many battles he fought, Ramesses’ body showed evidence of healed injuries and arthritis; his arteries were hardened; and he had a large dental infection that might have killed him.
Ramesses II reigned for almost 60 years and died when he was about 90. It is also said that he fathered more than 100 children.
His mummy was discovered in 1881 in the Valley of the Kings. Ramesses II's body was flown to Paris in 1974 to be treated for a fungal infection, and was issued an Egyptian passport, which listed his occupation as "King (deceased)".
6. Meritamen
Because incestuous marriages were common in ancient empires, Meritamen was both daughter and later great royal wife of Pharaoh Ramesses the Great, along with her half-sister Bintanath.
Meritamen was a singer of Amun, priestess of Hathor, sistrum-player of Mut and a dancer of Horus, and held several titles including Magnificent in the Palace; the Beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands; The One Who Fills the Forecourt with the Scent of Her Fragrance; and Superior of the Harem of Amun-Ra. Meritamen was buried in the Valley of the Queens. She is mostly known for her beautiful limestone statue, the White Queen, found at the Ramesseum, the temple complex her father built. She also appears on the walls of the temple of Abu Simbel, with other family members.
7. Ahmose-Nefertari
Ahmose-Nefertari was born in the ancient city of Thebes during the latter part of the 17th Dynasty, when her grandfather Senakhtenre Ahmosea reigned.
She became the great royal wife of Ahmose I, with whom she had at least three sons. Her son Amenhotep I would eventually succeed his father to the throne.
She was also the mother of two daughters who became royal wives, Ahmose-Meritamun and Ahmose-Sitamun.
Read more about Ancient Egypt:
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
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Three wins in past 10 starts
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- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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