On the night of Oct. 4-5, 2025, Rome welcomed a load of great historical and cultural value: the Scuderie del Quirinale saw the arrival of the 130 works from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo destined to give life to the exhibition Treasures of the Pharaohs, one of the most eagerly awaited events of the new exhibition season in the capital. This is a loan of exceptional international significance, which will bring to the exhibition venue overlooking Via XX Settembre an extraordinary corpus ofancient Egyptian relics, most of which have never before left Egypt’s borders.
The transport took place in an elaborate logistical operation, conducted in close collaboration between the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt and technicians from Ales - Scuderie del Quirinale. The works were escorted by a specialized team of Egyptian restorers and officials, who accompanied the delicate stages of the transfer from Egypt to Italy. The arrival at the Roman site took place in the utmost secrecy to ensure the safety of the crates containing the ancient artifacts.
Once they reached their destination, the materials were transferred inside the laboratories of the Scuderie del Quirinale, where the unpacking and conservation control phase began. This process, essential to ensure the integrity of the works, will continue in the coming days under the joint supervision of Italian restorers and Egyptian experts. Each piece will undergo careful analysis before being placed in theexhibition’s final set-up, ahead of the public opening scheduled for Oct. 24.
The exhibition, which will remain on view until May 3, 2026, will offer a journey through the history, worship and art of ancient Egypt, with a special focus on the splendor of the Pharaonic dynasties. The exhibits come from two key archaeological sites: the royal tombs of Tanis and the so-called “golden city” of Amenhotep III, ruler of the 18th dynasty known for his long and prosperous reign. The exhibits include monumental statues, fine gold and semi-precious stone jewelry, decorated sarcophagi, elements of funerary furnishings and votive artifacts, capable of restoring a glimpse of royal and religious life in ancient Egypt.
The exhibition aims to show not only the technical mastery of Egyptian craftsmen, but also the symbolic and spiritual complexity of the Pharaonic world. Visitors will have the opportunity to admire, for example, royal portraits of great refinement, ritual amulets, pectorals studded with lapis lazuli, and artifacts that tell of the afterlife according to the religious conception of the time.
Now, only one item in the display is still missing from the roll call: the famous Isiac Canteen, a masterpiece housed at the Egyptian Museum in Turin. This last work, which will arrive in Rome in the coming days, will complete the exhibition itinerary, enriching it with an important piece. The Isiac Canteen, a bronze slab engraved with motifs and texts related to the Isiac cult and Egyptian symbolism, represents a unicum in the history of Egypt’s reception in the Roman age and will be presented in the context of the exhibition as an example of the fortunes of Egyptian religion even outside its original borders.
The arrival of the works at the Quirinale marks the beginning of the final phase of preparation for the exhibition, which in the curators’ intentions aims to offer the public an immersive experience, capable of combining scientific rigor and visual suggestion. The entire curatorial apparatus is now focusing on the delicate work of staging, which will have to comply with stringent conservation criteria, given the fragility and inestimable value of the works. The public will be able to visit the exhibition from October 24, 2025, the date of its official opening, until May 3, 2026. During this time, Rome will be transformed into a capital of ancient Egypt, offering citizens and tourists the chance to come into direct contact with a millennia-old civilization that, even today, continues to inspire wonder and curiosity. In a historical period in which intercultural dialogue is more necessary than ever, the exhibition also takes on a symbolic value: a bridge between past and present, between worlds that are only apparently distant, but deeply connected by the common desire for knowledge, beauty and memory.
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| Rome, Pharaoh treasures arrive tonight from Cairo's Egyptian Museum: exhibition coming soon |
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