In dire straits at Telangana Archaeology Museum, 2,100-year-old Egyptian mummy cries out for help

Hyderabad: The rare Egyptian mummy at the Telangana State Archaeology Museum in Nampally is crying out to be saved. It has visible wear between the neck and torso, and officials need about Rs 85 lakh for its preservation.

On display at the museum since the 1930s, the mummy now lies in a poorly lit gallery, with half the lights out despite a renovation in 2016.The funds, apart from repairing the mummy – which is the most popular attraction of the museum – would also help address problems in the preservation chamber such as a broken air-conditioning unit and low nitrogen oxide levels among other issues accelerating the deterioration.“It’s been three months since we filed the proposal. Currently, it is under review at the Secretariat,” a senior archaeology department official said on condition of anonymity,

Delay could worsen the damage, he said.Believed to be over 2,100 years old, the mummy is said to be that of Princess Nasihu, the daughter of Egypt’s sixth Pharaoh. It was brought to Hyderabad in 1920 as a gift to the last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, by his predecessor’s son-in-law, Nawab Nazeer Nawaz Jung, who had purchased it for 1,000 British pounds. Mohammed Abid Ali, a city-based heritage activist, said, “The museum houses a remarkable collection, ranging from prehistoric tools and Satavahana coins to Kakatiya sculptures and the Egyptian mummy.

Despite its cultural value, it is unfortunate that the museum faces challenges. When the Egyptian mummy was sent for restoration during 2015-16, we were told that it wouldn’t need any work for many years to come and the govt invested lot of money.

It only means that there was no effort to safeguard it.”Despite the avenues for promoting it, many tourists to the city are not aware of the presence of the Egyptian mummy in the museum. Arman Haider, who has come from Delhi along with his family, said, “While I had heard about the mummy a couple of years ago, I thought it was moved out of here. We were surprised to see it in such bad condition.”