The exhibition Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs: the exhibition-event is coming to Paris!

Four years after the triumph of the Tutankhamun exhibition, the Grande Halle de la Villette welcomes the most mythical of the pharaohs, the aptly named Ramses the Great, more commonly known as Ramses II.

More than 3000 years after his disappearance and a stay in Paris in the 1970s to save his remains from a dangerous destructive fungus, the king of kings rests again in the capital. The blockbuster exhibition, which has already visited Houston, Boston and San Francisco, is thus continuing its world tour by making its first stop here on the Old Continent with a major surprise: the exclusive loan of the coffin of Ramses II, Egyptian national treasure will be presented nowhere else. With this immense privilege, the Parisian institution invites us to cross the beyond for an almost mystical immersion in the intimacy of the legendary sovereign, eternal colossus who reigned over Egypt for 66 years.

In an enigmatic semi-obscurity, Ramses II appears to us as the pharaoh of all superlatives. Victorious conqueror, tireless builder, warrior in the reconquest of the lost lands of the Egyptian empire and negotiator of the most famous peace treaty of Antiquity... Beyond his exceptional longevity (91 years), the king shines here not through the jewels of his disappeared treasure but through that of his successors haunted by the name of Ramses II which, for the anecdote, enabled Champollion to discover the key to deciphering the hieroglyphs and thus deciphering the Rosetta Stone.

The path to eternity does not end there... What about this monumental limestone sculpture built to the glory of the pharaoh who deified himself to celebrate his 10 years on the throne or this priceless necklace of gold and encrusted gems weighing more than 8 kg? Animal mummies, royal masks, sarcophagi and precious amulets punctuate this long descent into hell in the tombs of the illustrious sovereign and his wife Queen Nefertari. This stroll through the kingdom of the dead ends at the Temple of Abu Simbel thanks to a striking virtual reality experience giving us the illusion of touching the coveted gold of the pharaohs with our fingertips...

Did you know?
Twelve wives, two hundred concubines, one hundred and twenty-six children... In love, Ramses II did not count, so much so that he married six of his daughters according to custom. Nonagenarian at his death, the pharaoh also buried a good number of his heirs.

Discover our video of the exhibition.