May 20, 2022
By Raza Mehdi
Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They made mummies believing that for a person’s soul to inhabit the next world, their bodies must be preserved.
Here is a step-by-step process of how mummification used to take place.
Firstly, the body was washed. After that, a cut was made on the left side of the stomach to remove the internal organs.
The heart, which the Ancient Egyptians believed to be the centre of emotion and intelligence, was left in the body for use in the next life.The brain was removed from the body. Egyptians did not know the purpose of the brain, so they thought it was a waste of space.
The body and the internal organs were packed with salt for forty days to remove all moisture. The dried organs were wrapped in linen and placed in canopic jars.
After forty days, the body was cleaned and rubbed with oil. Then it was packed with sawdust and rags, and the open cuts sealed with wax.
The body was wrapped in 20 layers of linen bandages and it took 15 to 20 days to complete the process.
Finally, the body was placed in a decorated mummy case or coffin called a Sarcophagus.
If the person had been a Pharaoh, he would be placed inside a special burial chamber with lots of treasure.