CAIRO - 13 December 2020: The unique “Sharapan” Carriage will be restored and displayed in the museum
The Royal Carriages Museum in Bulaq received a carriage dating back to the era of Khedive Abbas Helmy II, which was in the Qusayr castle in the Red Sea.
It was placed there after it was seized in 2008 during an attempt of smuggling it outside the country from the land port of Safaga.
Moamen Othman, head of the museums sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that when the Public Prosecution issued a decree from the Safaga Port Police Department, to hand over the cart to the Supreme Council of Antiquities during the past few weeks, archaeologists and restorers of the Supreme Council of Antiquities immediately took the necessary measures.
All legal actions for receiving the vehicle were taken. as well as registering it among the archaeological collections.
It was then transported to the Royal Carriages Museum in Bulaq to be it is restored and displayed.
Moamen Othman confirmed that a detailed report was made on the state of of the carriage, and the restoration team did the documentation and initial restoration work, and that the packaging and transport process was carried out at the highest level of efficiency and in accordance with the scientific and technical standards used in the packaging and transportation of antiquities.
He indicated that a team of restorers at the Royal Carriages Museum is working to document and prepare a plan for its restoration to display it in the temporary exhibition gallery.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabbagh, Director General of the Royal Carriages Museum, stated that the carriage is an “Alay” and dates back to the era of Khedive Abbas Helmy II, specifically the year 1892 AD.
It is 3.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide and is carried on four wooden wheels, leather and consists of a cabin of brass and wood clad with leather.
It has two side doors, with two seats facing each other, the cabin has a seat for the driver, and behind the cabin a chair for the guards, and on the four sides of the cabin there are four copper lanterns for lighting and a copper bell.
He added that the museum's restorers also restored the unique black-colored Sharapan carriage, and is put in the museum display at the museum's celebration gallery.
He said that this carriage was different, as it is an open car dating back to the era of Khedive Ismail, and was used in excursions.
The most important thing that distinguishes it is that it has three consecutive seats across the width of it.
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