Did the mummy of Ramses II get a passport to travel from Egypt to France?

Ramesses II was one of the most powerful rulers of Ancient Egypt. He reigned in the 12th century B.C. for approximately 66 years, which was an unusually long time for a pharaoh, as the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt.

His mummy was discovered in 1881 in the tomb of a high priest named Pinedjem II who lived almost 400 years after the great pharaoh’s reign. 

The mummy was likely moved from the pharaoh’s original tomb in the Valley of the Kings, designated KV7, after looters desecrated the burial chamber and the priests of the time feared that someone might even try to ruin or steal the body. Upon discovery, the body of Ramesses the Great was in pristine condition. His skin was entirely preserved, as well as most of the hair on his head. 

Due to several factors, including the humidity of the room in which Ramesses’ mummy was kept at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the condition of the mummy began to deteriorate. By early 1970s it was infested with bacteria and started showing signs of decomposition.

This prompted Egyptian authorities to search the world for expert Egyptologists and restorers who would be capable of preserving the ancient body. Such experts were found in France.

However, in order for Ramesses’ mummy to be transported to France, the long-deceased pharaoh needed to have a valid passport, as at that time, French laws dictated that all persons, dead or alive, needed to have valid identification documents in order to legally enter France.