The Only Pharaoh Who Owned A Passport

Pharaohs are Egyptian kings who reigned between 3100 BC to 30 BC, a time referred to as the Stone Age with no airplanes, modern roads, cars, or any form of civilization. Pharaoh is a monarchial rule that lasted for 5,000 years. This brings the question how did a pharaoh own a passport?

Pharaoh Ramses II was one of the longest-serving Kings of Egypt believed to have ruled from 1213-1279 BC, the Son of Seti1 with a reign that lasted for 66 years. He became king in his early twenties after the death of his father, during his not-so-peaceful reign, he made a hobby off conquering cities and erecting a monument for himself, he had over 10 monuments in Egypt of himself. He was a good king as well, he undertook several military campaigns which filled the state with enough resources he used to carry out reforms throughout his empire.

Pharaoh Ramses II

King Ramses lived till the ripe age of 90 outliving many of his wives and children. When he died, he was buried in the valley of kings- VK7 but the fear of looters made the royal family move his body several times and at one time it was moved to the tomb of a priest enclosed in a wooden casket.

How did he own an Egyptian passport?

Mummy Of Pharaoh Ramsesses 11 Issue A Passport

Mummies are ways ancient Egypt preserve the dead, human, or animal. They are preserved by removal of the internal organs that can cause decay and treated with chemicals and wrapped with bandage not to be touched by liquid of any form, King Ramses II was preserved using this ancient method.

The Ramses The Great: The First Mummy To Be Issued A Passport (photo credit: ancient-origin.com)

5 Strongest gods In History You Should know (Photos)

Centuries later when Egypt has transitioned to democracy and now had presidents; his mummy was put on display in high placed museums for tourists to see. The twist of events happened in 1975 when a French doctor and a French president visited the museum and the doctor discovered King Ramses’ body was in poor state owing to the place it was kept which unknowingly exposed it to liquid and this has caused slight bacteria and fungi growth and mild signs of decomposition. This alarmed the Egyptian president of 1975. The French president persuaded the Egyptian president to fly the mummy to France for restoration.

In 1976 the existing laws required ANY person (Dead or Alive) to have a passport before they would be allowed entry into France and the same is applicable in Egypt. So history happened, after 3000 years since King Ramses’ died he was issued an Egyptian passport to enable his mummy to leave Egypt and entry into France. You are wondering what his occupation section would be? It read, King (Deceased).

At the Le Bourget airport France, King Ramses’ mummy received military procession with full military honors, he became the first and ONLY Egyptian Pharaoh to fly an airplane and ride a car with a full military escort. He was successfully restored and returned to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Has the Emperor used his passport for any other trip? I don’t think so.