Meet Masaharti, army general & high priest of Amun in Thebes

CAIRO – 1 June 2022: The Egyptian museums contain millions of rare archaeological artifacts from the ancient Egyptian eras. Each piece narrates a story that is thousands of years old.

The mummy of Masaharti is considered one of the most important artifacts housed in the Mummification Museum. Masaharti is the son of King Piedjem I of the 21st Dynasty. He was the army general and the high priest of Amun in Thebes.

Masaharti's mummy was discovered by the French Egyptologist Maspero in 1881 among the royal mummies in the Deir el-Bahari cache in Western Thebes. The mummy was displayed in the museum because it represents the era of perfection in the art of mummification that reached its peak during the reign of the 21st family. The mummy is in good condition of preservation.

By inspecting Masaharti’s mummy, it turned out that he was overweight at the time of his death, his head was thick and swollen, his face was painted with red glue, and his hands extended to the pelvic area. A golden cover is still visible on the middle finger of his right hand, reaching its mid-section. The body is intact and was wrapped in resin-impregnated wraps that contained some jewels. The lid of the coffin is decorated with funeral scenes.

Among Masaharti's most important achievements is that he provided great care for the royal mummies. Masaharti died young in the 25th year of his father's rule.