My Handsome Prince

Sherin Motawea

May 15, 20172 min read

It was the summer of 2001, when I used to work as the Head of the Museums Department at the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (current Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities) under the renowned Dr. Hawass. I was planning an exhibition and thought to seek the help of schoolchildren in choosing the pieces from the Cairo Museum, Egypt.

The exhibition topic was on two brothers from the Pharaonic time: a farmer and an engineer. The objects were to represent each one’s life until their death, their mummification, and lastly their journey to the God Re for judgement. After picking the objects, I was desperately looking for a coffin and a mummy.

We searched all over the museum until we reached the Coffins Hall on the second floor. It is a hall that has to the left and right three-leveled showcases with coffins placed on each level. After extensive search, we found an amazing coffin in an extremely good condition and color at the bottom of one of these display cases. We carried it out and as we opened the coffin, I fell in love. An amazing mummy of a then unknown prince with all its amulets, was the prize of my effort. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We found him, we found the star of the exhibition. The mummy was then transferred to the Conservation Department to be studied and restored and finally displayed in the Eastern Royal Mummies Hall, on the second floor of the Cairo Museum. Although my exhibition didn’t see the light, I am happy that the hidden purpose behind it, was to bring my handsome prince to life for everyone to see. Rest in peace my celebrated handsome prince.

Sherin Motawea has an MA in Museum & Heritage Studies from University College London, Institute of Archaeology, 1998. She worked at the Supreme Council of Antiquities (current Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities) as the Head of The Museums Department from the Period of 2000-2002. Amongst her known educational projects in museums was “the Cairo Museum Children Summer School” (summer 2000), where activities for disabled children were introduced. Sherin currently resides in the U.S.A.