The Valley of the Golden Mummies in Bahariya represented one of the greatest discoveries for Egyptologists in recent decades… and it can also be a highlight of your oasis tour if you decide to add this visit to your itinerary. In this post, we tell you everything you need to know about its history and unique features, as well as where you can see them up close.
What is the Valley of the Golden Mummies?
The Valley of the Golden Mummies in Bahariya is a necropolis dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods of Egypt. It serves as an excellent example for understanding the funerary rites in the final eras of that civilization, showcasing both significant differences and similarities to the Pharaonic period.
However, what is truly remarkable is its sheer size: it is, in fact, considered the largest known necropolis in the entire country. Although only several hundred mummies have been recovered so far, it is believed to contain up to 15,000.
It is located in the Bahariya Oasis, approximately 400 km from Cairo, making it the closest to the capital, excluding Fayum. Therefore, adding this cultural visit to your itinerary can be an excellent complement to your Western Desert tour, with an endless desert surrounding it and areas featuring unforgettable excursions, such as the White Desert, the Black Desert, or the Crystal Mountains.
Mummies of Extraordinary Richness
But what is striking is not only the quantity but also the quality with which the mummies were prepared. They were deposited in collective tombs, some of which were richly decorated with mural paintings. We emphasize the term ‘mummy,’ as the focus was not on the coffin or sarcophagus, but directly on the mummy itself, on which a cartonnage piece could be applied to the head and bust. In contrast, sarcophagi seem to have been reserved for the most important members of society, such as that of the priest Badi-Herkhib, made of quartzite.
In the words of the famous archaeologist Zahi Hawass, responsible for the discovery in 1996, it was as if craft workshops were everywhere, and the artisan’s work was the most important profession in Bahariya, at a time when the climate and landscape would have been very different from today, much more fertile and hospitable to humans.
After analyzing the pieces recovered from the Valley of the Mummies in Bahariya, four main types of mummies or sarcophagi are identified:
- The golden mummies themselves: these are what give the necropolis its name and, as their name suggests, they were covered with gold leaf on the cartonnage piece, which also featured drawings of different Egyptian gods and goddesses. This is undoubtedly the richest type, identified in over 60 mummies, alongside which a generous funerary trousseau was deposited.
- Cartonnage mummies, where the bodies of the deceased were only covered with cartonnage.
- Mummies placed in anthropomorphic clay coffins.
- Mummies simply covered in linen.
Furthermore, another distinguishing detail of all these Bahariya mummies is the mummification method used, based on the installation of reeds on both sides and a rush mat around them, which promotes good long-term preservation of the mummy.
Where to Visit the Golden Mummies in Bahariya
To visit the Golden Mummies in Bahariya, you can primarily go to two places:
- The Bawiti Museum, which is the main town in the oasis.
- Golden Mummies Hall, a visitable hall where some of these mummies are displayed in their respective showcases, several kilometers west of Bawiti.
Photo: Roland Unger CC 3.0
