Egyptian mummy in Albert Hall gets fresh treatment'

JAIPUR: The 2300-year-old Egyptian mummy at the Albert Hall museum in Jaipur got a new lease of life after a three-member team from Egypt represerved it on Tuesday.
The mummy is that of Tutu, a female member of a priest's family, dating to Egypt's Ptolemaic period (322 BC to 30 BC).
Central Museum's director of archaeology, S P Singh said the condition of the mummy was good but cautioned against damages in future."Experts have studied the condition of the mummy and told us that it is in a good condition. However, they also insisted proper maintenance of the mummy," Singh said.
The coffin, the cloth coverings, the paintings on it, and different layers of cloth, the atmosphere in which it was kept and the showcase were measured scientifically and redone accordingly. Experts who did the conservation work said the skeletons are in good shape.
All internationally accepted processes were undertaken for the preservation. The visiting Egyptian team also gave training to the museum officials on the preservation techniques.
The mummy is one of the main attractions of the Indo-Saracenic style Albert Hall museum here. Displayed in a glass case, the mummy got exposed to oxygen and moisture which led to its case crumbling to dust. It was brought by the erstwhile ruler of Jaipur Sawai Ishwar Singh from Cairo in 1887. Egyptian alabaster figures and scriptures create the right ambience in the room where the mummy is on display.
On Tuesday the mummy received treatment after a gap of11 years.
In fact, the mummy enjoys a pride of place at the magnificent museum. Placed in a hall with a high ceiling and a sun roof, the mummy draws large crowds. But the visitors were prohibited to go to the section where restoration work was done.
"The mummy is the most popular of all the items displayed in our museum and with the support of the Egyptian ministry of culture we are trying to do some conservation to enable the mummy survive longer," said Singh.
This mummy, one of only six in India, came to the country when it was "gifted" by Brughsch Bey of the Museum of Cairo for an exhibition in "Jeypore".
"The Egyptian ministry of culture has taken up conservation of mummies excavated from 118 pyramids and now preserved in different museums of the world. The three-member Egyptian team did the biological damage control caused to the embalmed body. These experts are highly skilled and are responsible for the conservation, protection and regulation of all antiquities and arcaheological excavations in Egypt," said Singh.
Singh said prior to the restoration, the videography of the mummy was done and X-ray was taken with great difficulty by bringing an X ray machine into the museum.
In fact, Nassry Youssef Iskander, an Egyptian expert on preservation of mummies who visited the Jaipur museum in 1999, had recommended urgent restoration work on the mummy, and had called for "serious conservation action".