130 masterpieces from Ancient Egypt have arrived in Rome, straight from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Luxor Museum, many leaving their country for the first time
Treasures of the Pharaohs is the most anticipated exhibition of the season, and it’s finally lighting up the Scuderie del Quirinale with the brilliance of three thousand years of history.
Running until May 3, 2026, the show brings together amulets, jewelry, and sacred objects that trace the evolution of Egyptian civilization through power, faith, and everyday life. Among its highlights are the gilded sarcophagus of Queen Ahhotep II and the famous Necklace of Golden Flies — an ancient military honor for bravery in battle — displayed alongside the ceremonial collar of Psusennes I. Together, they open a window into the world of Egypt’s elite, where gold was not just beauty but authority made visible.
Curated by Tarek El Awady, former director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the exhibition moves through rituals of life and death, tracing how the Egyptians understood mortality as transformation. The monumental sarcophagus of Tuya, mother of Queen Tiye, anchors a section dedicated to funerary beliefs and the promise of rebirth. Nearby, shabti figurines, canopic jars, and an astonishingly well-preserved Book of the Dead papyrus reveal how art, science, and faith worked together to guide the soul into the afterlife.
The show also turns its gaze toward everyday humanity – the tombs of nobles and artisans that illuminate the devotion, labor, and continuity behind Egypt’s grandeur. Among them, the gilded armchair of Sitamun, daughter of Amenhotep III, stands out: used in life and then placed in her grandparents’ tomb, it speaks of affection across generations. A section dedicated to Amenhotep III’s “Golden City,” discovered in 2021 by archaeologist Zahi Hawass, captures the world of the craftsmen who built the monuments we still marvel at today.
The final rooms celebrate divine kingship, where sculptures of Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, and Menkaure embody both mortal presence and godlike ideal. The exhibition culminates in the luminous gold mask of Amenemope – serene, perfect, eternal. Completing this journey is a remarkable loan from Turin’s Museo Egizio: the Mensa Isiaca, an ancient bronze altar that symbolizes the enduring bond between Egypt and Rome.
As Zahi Hawass notes, “the greatest monument ever built by Egypt was not a pyramid or a temple, but the very idea of eternity.” Standing in the Scuderie’s quiet, gold-lit halls, that feels true.
Until May, 3 2026
Scuderie del Quirinale
Viale XXIV Maggio, 16
Opening times: Everyday from 10am to 8pm
Tickets: Full€18, Reduced €16, Open ticket €25
