Largest Exhibition Of Mummies Arrives In Pittsburgh Under Heavy Security

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh is known for its love of zombies, but today, it's all about mummies.

Drivers likely noticed an unusual police escort along the Parkway West, Fort Pitt Bridge and throughout the North Shore Tuesday morning.

WATCH: Mummies Arrive --

Arriving in a locked and temperature-controlled semi-truck, more than 40 human and animal mummies were unloaded and will soon be carefully displayed in the Carnegie Science Center's PPG Science Pavilion.

It's the highly-anticipated "Mummies of the World: The Exhibition."

Director Jason Brown tells KDKA that the exhibit is years in the making.

"What makes this exhibition so important is that its real artifacts," said Brown. "So we're talking about things that are more than 2,800 years and older. They've come from all over the world and really require special care."

The mummies, plus 85 related artifacts, traveled more than 2,000 miles from Phoenix, Arizona. It is an internationally-traveling exhibit and Pittsburgh has worked for years to land a visit.

"I think it will attract everyone," said Brown. "I would have loved it as a kid, I love it as an adult, I think my family members will love it. I think it really appeals to everyone. There's something very unique about mummies and very awe-inspiring that draws people in."

Crews will work night and day to set up the exhibit ahead of the Oct. 5 opening. It will remain open to the public through April.

"The cool thing with this is the mummies come from different continents and different countries," said Dennis Bateman, the director of exhibitions at the Carnegie Science Center. "People tend to think of mummies as Egyptian, but we have mummies from Germany, Hungary and South America."

The exhibits include a mummified family from Hungary, a mummified German nobleman found in the crypt of a 14th century castle, South American shrunken heads and more.

Bateman said visitors will be able to appreciate the reasoning behind the process of mummification across cultures.

"Some mummies are intentional, there are other accidental mummifications, somebody falls in a glacier or dies on the tundra in Greenland. Other times, it's a religious practice," said Bateman.

CEO Craig Davis of "Visit Pittsburgh" said he hopes the mummies attract curious tourists.

"This is such a unique exhibit and we know that people will be motivated to get in the car and go and visit Pittsburgh and then take in all the other things we have to offer as well," said Davis.

Advanced reservations are encouraged.

To get tickets, visit the Science Center's website here.