Mummified remains could return to Egypt after removal from public view

Remains of an Egyptian mummy could be returned to Egypt after they were removed from display over ethical concerns.

The Sunday Post newspaper reported "Egyptian authorities" have asked for the repatriation of the mummified corpse of the priest Nekht, which was taken out of public view at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum last month.

It came after the International Council of Museums (Icom) revised its code of ethics, recommending the "inherent dignity" of human remains be upheld.

Glasgow Life, which operates the museum, confirmed it had received a request to send the Nekht remains back to Egypt.

The organisation decided to remove the painted coffin containing the remains of Nekht in the "absence of consent from the deceased individual or their descendants".

Nekht is thought to have lived at some point between 1985 and 1797BC and was excavated at Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt during digs carried out in the early 20th century.

The remains were donated to the city of Glasgow in 1923.

There have been repeated calls and online petitions for the return of Egyptian artefacts following the opening of the 120-acre Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the pyramids of Giza last year.

It is described as the world's largest archaeological museum, containing more than 100,000 artefacts including the entire contents of the intact tomb of boy king Tutankhamun.

A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: "We have received a request in the last few days to repatriate the Nekht remains to Egypt."

The organisation could not confirm where the request had come from but added it has a "well-established" process for repatriation requests.

GEM has been contacted for comment.

The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow also covered Lady Shep-En-Hor's body in a specifically designed textile to protect it from being seen by visitors.

Her ornate sarcophagus, which has been on display almost continuously since 1820, will remain on public view as a "fine work of late period ancient Egyptian funerary art".

Lady Shep-En-Hor has never been removed from the coffin, but has been X-rayed and CT scanned in the last 50 years.

Kelvingrove and the Hunterian Museum said the decisions followed a reassessment of their duty of care towards the deceased.

Both museums previously stated they would consider the repatriation of the remains should they receive an approach from a country or institution.

The Icom code, which was revised in June, states museums should "uphold the inherent dignity of human remains and promote respect for their significance".

It adds: "Decisions about these items and collections should be made in collaboration with descendants or communities from which they originate, if known."