Egyptians enjoy iftar with the pharaohs thanks to a new Cairo restaurant

Meals are served next to 22 royal mummies in their new resting place

Visitors gather for Iftar meal to break their fast at a restaurant of Egypt's museum of civilization, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt April 28, 2021. REUTERS

Egyptians can enjoy their iftar and suhoor meals this Ramadan seated just a few metres from 22 royal mummies.

Mawlay is an outdoor restaurant at Cairo's National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation that is offering diners a true taste of history.

Visitors can break their fast and then visit the museum, restaurant owner Dina Al Sabban said.

The museum is open during the day from 9am to 3pm, but it opens again specifically for restaurant guests from 8pm to 11pm, said Ahmed Ghoniem, the museum's executive director.

In April, the world watched the Pharaohs Golden Parade make its way through Cairo, transporting the 22 mummies from Tahrir Square’s Egyptian Museum to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

The procession included the preserved remains of 18 kings and four queens moving in order of the eldest first on climate-controlled floats decorated with wings and pharaonic design in an ancient Egyptian style.

Well-known ancient rulers, including kings Ramses II and III, Queen Hatshepsut, King Seti I and kings Thutmose III and IV, were accompanied by horses, carriages, Egyptian film stars and celebrities.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Old Cairo's Fustat area was officially inaugurated on April 3.

Fustat was the site of Egypt's capital under the Umayyad dynasty after its conquest by Amr Ibn al-As in AD 641.