Funerary sandals of King Psusennes I .

The golden funerary sandals of King Psusennes I are exquisite ancient Egyptian artefacts from the 21st Dynasty (c. 1047–1001 BC ). They were recovered from his intact royal tomb in Tanis, in the Nile Delta, and are currently housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Crafted from thin sheets of pure, hammered gold.

Each symmetrical sandal consists of a sole with a raised, upward-curving front and specialized sections fused to form the base and straps.

The soles feature delicate parallel engraved lines, herringbone patterns in the middle, and a 16-petal rosette or lotus-flower motif inscribed around the heel area.

Alongside the sandals, the pharaoh’s fingers and toes were encased in individual gold stalls/tips.

They were never meant for walking on earth; instead, they were placed on the mummified king’s feet to protect him and guide his sacred steps into the afterlife.

In ancient Egyptian theology, gold was revered as the “flesh of the gods,” symbolizing permanence, purity, and immortal rebirth.