His image in the passport looks like a statue, and the identity mentioned in it is the King of Egypt. The owner of this passport passed away in BCE 1213. As expected, issuance of such a passport triggered a sensation in the past. Many thought that it was a fake passport. However, it was not so!
One can find various ancient Egyptian customs in history books. One such custom was the preservation of a body after the demise of a person. People in ancient Egypt used to believe that as long as the body could be preserved after death, the deceased person would live in heaven. So, they mummified dead bodies. Mummies can still be found in Egypt. In fact, thousands of tourists visit the country of the Nile every year to see the mummies. In ancient Egypt, bodies of the kings were preserved after their death. However, this custom has become a part of history.
Ancient Egyptian kings are popularly known as Pharaohs. The passport of one such pharaoh, Ramesses II, was issued 3,000 years after his death. Ramesses II (BCE 1303-1213 BC), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, he is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom. He is also widely considered one of ancient Egypt's most successful warrior pharaohs, conducting no fewer than 15 military campaigns, all resulting in victories, excluding the Battle of Kadesh, generally considered a stalemate.
Ramesses II was the only pharaoh of Egypt to have a passport issued in his name. The Government of Egypt issued his passport on September 3, 1974, and it was shown at the airport. In fact, the body of Ramesses II was preserved after the demise of the Pharaoh. As the mummy of Pharaoh Ramesses II required maintenance, the concerned authorities had to take the mummy to Paris.
However, French law prevented the mummy of Pharaoh Ramesses II from traveling to Paris. The law clearly states that anyone, dead or alive, must have a valid passport to board an aircraft bound for France. The law prompted Cairo to issue a passport for the mummy of Ramesses II 3,000 years after his death.
The documentation of the passport so many years after the demise of Pharaoh Ramesses II was quite astonishing. Once, the image of his passport went viral on social media. Later, various media reports claimed that the photo of that passport was fake. In other words, Pharaoh Ramesses II had a passport, but the viral image of it is fake. The image of the passport bearing the face of Ramses II's mummified remains is solely for representative purpose. It is not the official passport of the Egyptian pharaoh. There is no known record of anything like a passport existing in ancient Egypt. However, when the mummy of Ramses II had to be flown to Paris for restoration in 1974, it was issued a valid Egyptian passport, including a photo of the pharaoh's ancient face. His occupation was listed as King (deceased).
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