Indian Scientist Restores Hyderabad's 4500 Year Old Mummy!

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Indian Scientist Restores Hyderabad's 4500 Year Old Mummy!

Princess Naishu was the said to be the daughter of the sixth Pharoh of Egypt who died in 2500 BC. The Mummy was purchased by Nazeer Nawaz Jung, the son-in-law of Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, the then ruling Nawab of Hyderabad. It was donated to the museum by Mir Osman Ali Khan, where it has laiid undisturbed in an airtight enclosure ever since.

Over the past few years however, the mummy had begun to show signs of rot. This can be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the best way to preserve a mummy. The bandages were fraying and falling away in patches. This could lead to the decomposition of the body inside after a while. The bandaging that was used in the original mummification process had become brittle, it was truly a challenge to rebind the cracked bandages without causing any significant damage to the mummy.

After several weeks of careful work, they managed to carefully wrap the mummy in several layers of cotton before being sent for the CT scans and X-rays. Scans revealed that the ribs and spine of the mummy were damaged when she was mummified. The mummy has been carefully wrapped in a mesh-like fabric and placed on an Ethofoam Cushion. The whole case is oxygen-free which will serve to keep the bacteria, insects and even humidity away from the mummy. Post-restoration, the mummy has even retained its old look.

This is a big first for India. For the very first time, Indian scientists have analyzed, preserved and conserved the mummy with least invasive methods. This success will surely set a precedent that might probably see more and more restorations from across the world happening right here in India.