Visitors are encouraged to bring their pet cats for special evening events during the exhibition to pay tribute to the cat goddess, Bastet.

In 2020, ruins of a temple dedicated to Bastet dating back to 600 BC were unearthed in Saqqara, 30 kilometers south of Cairo.

The finds, including animal mummies and well-preserved relics from priests' tombs, were so remarkable that the dig was listed among the top 10 archaeological revelations of the year.

The Shanghai exhibition will be the first systematic showcase of these artifacts, which have been stored in warehouses of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Chu says.