See Ramses II’s Intricately Decorated Coffin and Rare Treasures From His Reign at This New Immersive Exhibition

Now on display in London, “Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” features 3,000-year-old artifacts alongside virtual reality experiences that transport museumgoers to the 13th century B.C.E.

Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent

March 20, 2026

Share

Copy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrint

Add as preferred source

An immersive exhibition dedicated to Ramses II, the third king of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty, is now officially open in London. Featuring 180 artifacts dating back more than 3,000 years, “Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” is on view in a pop-up space at Battersea Power Station.

The show includes virtual reality experiences that transport visitors to 13th-century B.C.E. Egypt, where Ramses reigned for 66 years during the prosperous New Kingdom era. Museumgoers will also see a trove of artifacts on loan from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The exhibition marks their first appearance in London.

“Known for his extensive monument-building, military strategy and diplomacy, and a vast dynasty of more than 100 children, Ramses remains one of history’s most iconic pharaohs,” organizers say in a statement. “[He] is celebrated as the mighty warrior-king who helped define the height of ancient Egyptian civilization.”

Artifacts on display include statues depicting the ancient king and an obelisk fragment bearing his name. But the highlight of the show is the wooden coffin that once held Ramses’ mummy. It depicts the pharaoh as Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife.

The Egyptians began mummifying their dead around 2600 B.C.E. By the end of the New Kingdom era, the practice was widespread. Ramses’ mummy is housed in Cairo’s National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, but visitors to the London exhibition will see examples of ancient animal mummification.

“There are cats, a lion cub and a mongoose with a curled and lifeless tail,” writes the London Times’ Laura Freeman. “Even scarab beetles were mummified. Two of their miniature sarcophagi are on display.”

The show also features artifacts from beyond Ramses’ lifetime, including jewelry found in the tomb of the pharaoh Psusennes I and the recently restored coffin of the pharaoh Shoshenq II. Museumgoers can see gold funerary masks belonging to Psusennes’ general, Wendjebauendjed, and the pharaoh Amenemope.

“Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” includes less gold than its title suggests. “But when it does turn up, it’s dazzling,” writes the Telegraph’s JJ Charlesworth. “The bling at the show’s heart is mostly the accoutrements of various princesses: heavy necklaces, girdles, elaborate pendant earrings and a carnelian-inlaid dagger.”

Several objects on view shed light on everyday life in ancient Egypt. These domestic artifacts include kohl pots used to store eye makeup, a princess’ ornate hand mirror, architectural models and a fist carved from red jasper, according to the Telegraph.

The exhibition is full of multimedia elements, including a virtual animation depicting the Battle of Kadesh, which Ramses’ forces fought against the Hittites in 1275 B.C.E. The battle had no clear winner—both sides later claimed victory—but it led to the world’s earliest known surviving peace treaty, signed by Ramses and Hattusilis III, the Hittite king.

Visitors can also participate in a unique virtual reality experience. By sitting in motion-synced pods and donning goggles, they travel to Abu Simbel, two massive temples built by Ramses in southern Egypt. Queen Nefertari, the pharaoh’s first wife, serves as their guide.

“‘Ramses’ is teen-friendly ‘edutainment’ made all the more fun by the virtual reality experience,” writes the Telegraph. “It’s virtual tourism with a fantasy ending straight out of The Mummy, as an angry spirit chases you across the desert.”

“Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” debuted at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 2021. Since then, it has traveled to San Francisco, Paris, Sydney, Cologne and Tokyo. The world tour coincided with the development of the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which opened in late 2025.

“The exhibition is an ambassador [for Egypt],” Hisham El-Leithy, the acting secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, tells the Art Newspaper’s Gareth Harris. Officials hope the immersive show will entice more travelers to visit Egypt in person.

“Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” is on view at Battersea Power Station in London through May 31, 2026.

Sonja Anderson | Read More

Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in Chicago.