'Perfumes in Ancient Egypt' Exhibit Opens at Egyptian Museum in Tahrir

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir has launched a new exhibition titled ‘Perfumes of Ancient Egypt through the Ages’, offering a glimpse into the perfume industry of ancient Egypt. The exhibition, which will run for three months, is a collaboration between the Egyptian Museum, the University of Paule Valérie Montpellier 3, the Lapex Archimed laboratory, and the Hieroglyphic Foundation.

The exhibit explores the historical importance of perfumes in ancient Egyptian society, highlighting their uses, compositions, and rituals. Among the collection are statues of Queen Hatshepsut and the god Amun Ra, as well as artefacts like utensils used for storing perfumes, dried flowers, and manuscripts detailing perfume recipes. The exhibition also showcases Hatshepsut’s journey to Punt, where ingredients for perfumes were sourced.

Visitors will also experience virtual reality technology, allowing them to explore the use of perfumes in daily life, religious rituals, and political ceremonies like mummification. Some perfumes have even been reconstructed based on archaeological papyri and are available for visitors to smell.