The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Organizes A Temporary Exhibition Titled ‘The Scents of Ancient Egypt Through the Ages’

 

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir is organizing a temporary exhibition titled “The Scents of Ancient Egypt Through the Ages” in collaboration with Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University in France, the distinguished LabEx Archimède laboratory, and the Hierollexic Foundation for the Hieroglyphic Language.

 

The exhibition aims to shed light on the production, use, and diverse compositions of perfumes in ancient Egypt, as well as the rituals associated with them.

 

This is achieved by showcasing a selection of artifacts related to perfumes, chosen from the collections of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Museum of Islamic Art in Bab Al-Khalq, and the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo.

 

The exhibition features artifacts related to perfumes in ancient Egypt, including statues of Queen Hatshepsut and the god Amun-Ra, scenes depicting Hatshepsut’s expedition to the land of Punt to procure materials like myrrh and frankincense used in perfume production, and a collection of dried flowers from the New Kingdom.

 

Additionally, the exhibition includes perfume vessels and manuscripts with recipes for perfume preparation.

 

Ali Abdel Halim, General Director of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, explained that the exhibition will last for three months and will incorporate virtual reality technology, allowing visitors to experience the museum and explore how perfumes were used in daily life, religious rituals, and even in political contexts, such as during mummification practices.

 

He added that some ancient Egyptian perfumes have been recreated based on formulas found in ancient papyri, under the supervision of the museum’s restoration department. These recreated perfumes will be on display for visitors to smell and experience firsthand the scents of ancient Egypt.

 

Abdel Halim stated:

“The perfume industry in ancient Egypt was highly advanced. Egyptians were skilled at extracting scents from plants, flowers, and resins. The process involved several stages, including collecting raw materials based on the type of perfume desired, extracting the fragrance using methods like distillation or cold pressing, blending the scents to achieve the desired aroma, and finally, bottling and storing the perfumes in ornate glass or pottery vessels.”