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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 March - 5 April 2000 Issue No. 475 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 March - 5 April 2000 Issue No. 475
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons How the spirit gets home
By Nevine El-ArefThe body of Ma-Saharti, high priest of Amun-Re and an army commander of the 21st dynasty, lies in its sarcophagus on display in the Mummification Museum in Luxor. His facial features are remarkable; his hair and beard have been preserved. The sarcophagus is adorned with the face of Osiris, god of the dead.
Preserving the likeness of the deceased was of utmost importance to ancient Egyptians. Released upon death, the immortal spirit needed to be able to identify the body in which it was to repose. Century upon century, efforts were made to perfect a technique once believed to have reached its peak with mummies like that of Ramses II, in the 19th dynasty, and begun to decline thereafter.
However, the remarkably well-preserved mummy shown here dates to the 21st dynasty, from the 10th century BC -- evidence that experimention with new mummification techniques continued well after the 13th century and were in fact, extremely successful.
One of the main problems faced by ancient mummification experts was that the body shrank as it dried out after completing the mummification process, becoming progressively thinner and smaller. To counteract this and ensure that it retained its shape, reed splints began to be placed on the sides of the mummy before it was wrapped in linen. The process, explained Ahmed Saleh, director general of the Mummification Museum in Luxor, reinforced the mummy.
The mummy of Ma-Saharti, now on display at the Mummification Museum in Luxor
photo: Mohamed Wassim"In my opinion, this innovation retained the dignity of the deceased, because his form was preserved, even to his muscles," remarked Saleh.
The first known mummy in which this technique was used is that of Ma-Saharti, one of the mummies found in 1881 in what became known as the cache at Deir Al-Bahari. The body of Ma-Saharti, buried with his wife and daughter, was originally placed in storage in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and then put on show in the museum's Mausoleum of Mummies five years ago. With the completion of the Mummification Museum in Luxor, Ma-Saharti's mummy returned to Luxor, although the bodies of his wife and daughter remain in Cairo.
Interestingly, messages between Ma-Saharti and his doctors were found inside his burial chamber. "They reveal that he sought a cure for a brain disease and suffered for quite a long time," said Salah. "He was in a coma before he died."
