Mariano Tovar
BASHIRI
The most enigmatic mummy that nobody dares to touch
'THE UNTOUCHABLE'
In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo rests for more than a century a mummy found by Howard Carter that no one dares to touch.
Its exceptional state of preservation and its complicated linen bandages, imitating the pyramids of Giza, have made it “Untouchable”.
It is impossible to remove and reposition them after the studies. The only solution has been to use non-invasive technologies and CT scans.
On his chest is a side tuft formed by rows of beads and spikes in the shape of a falcon's head as a symbol of wealth.
The body is covered with a bodice in which he appears lying on a bed next to the gods Isis and Nephthys. Next to them are the four sons of the god Horus.
The feet are covered by a plate with two representations of Anubis, the guardian of the tombs represented with the head of a jackal.
The papyri include hieroglyphic inscriptions containing prayers, incantations and magical formulas from the “Book of the Dead”.
Hidden among the bandages are amulets of scarabs, which were sacred in Egypt related to the god Khepri, who was reborn every day.
There were also amulets with Horus eyes, ankhs and djeds, which protected and gave strength on the way to eternal life.
Several clay figures known as ushebtis would be in charge of serving the mummified person in the afterlife.