The vulture was the sacred form of Nekhbet, the protective goddess of Upper Egypt, who was shown spreading her wings over the king. Together with the cobra goddess Wadjet of Lower Egypt she formed the "Two Ladies", guardians of the united kingdom, and their heads appear side by side on royal crowns.
The vulture was also associated with Mut, the mother goddess of Thebes.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, Cairo, opened in 2021 and traces Egyptian civilization from prehistory to the present; it is also home to the royal mummies moved from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
