Did a pharaoh's curse cause Suez Canal crisis, other Egyptian disasters?

• Date: 30 March 2021
• Author: AARON REICH
• Published date: 30 March 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

According to several archaeologists, this is a definite "no," multiple Middle Eastern sources reported Monday.

Many had feared a supernatural cause for many of Egypt's woes, having tied it to plans by Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Ministry moving of 22 royal mummies to a new permanent exhibit in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization out of their current home in Tahrir's Egyptian Museum.

The mummies – which include such notable former pharaohs as Ramesses II, Thutmose III, Seti I and the queen Hatshepsut – are set to be moved as part of a government effort to use archaeological and cultural activities to develop and modernize Cairo and other cities around the country, Arab News reported.

These plans are set to take place on April 3. However, in recent weeks, the North African country has suffered a bewildering number of disasters that are equal parts strange and devastating. These include the collapsing of a massive 10-storey structure in Suez Bridge and a concrete pillar on a still-under-construction bridge in Mariotia; multiple fires in Minya, the Zagazig railway station and the Maadi tower, and a fatal train collision in the Sohag Governorate on March 26, according to Arab News.

Some of these disasters had cost lives, with the collapsed building reportedly killing 23 people, according to Gulf News, and the train collision resulting in 19 deaths and 185 injuries.

But one other notable incident stands out from the rest: The gigantic cargo ship Ever Given accidentally getting stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking the vital waterway and bringing global trade to a grinding halt. Some estimated this disaster had resulted in a global loss of $400 million an hour (and costing the canal itself $14-$15 million a day) before the situation was finally resolved on Monday, nearly a week later.

It should be noted that while the timing of these disasters seemed suspicious due to them all happening at once, they can still be explained. For instance, the train collision is likely the result of the numerous problems that plague Egypt's railway system. In fact, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly admitted that the railway system in the country "has been neglected for decades to an extent that made it quite outdated and extremely dangerous," and the country has a long history of train accidents as a result, with 2017 alone having had 1,793 train accidents, according to German daily Deutsche Welle.

As for the Suez Canal incident, there are many factors that were at...