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Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt Exhibition

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By Veron Ang

What happens after death?

The ancient Egyptians asked, and answered, this universal question in their own rituals, art and illustrations designed to explain the otherwise inexplicable. Thanks to the preserved artworks and tombs, modern people are able to understand a little better the mystical history of the Egyptians.

Sphinx statue from Egypt

At the Quest for Immortality exhibition held in National Museum of Singapore, we can feed our fascination even further. It is not everyday that an exhibition on ancient Egypt comes to town, so this is a rare opportunity where we get to see actual relics, artifacts and mummies, some as old as 6000 years, up close.

Sphinx statue from Egypt

In all, 230 artifacts, including 3 mummified bodies, are being exhibited. One of the most valuable exhibits is the Sphinx of Amenhotep III statue (picture above), valued at about $1.4m.

Sphinx statue from Egypt

Statues from Egypt

This limestone statue from 1323-1295BC depicts the god Horus seated side by side with King Horemhab, who was believed to be the earthly incarnation of the god.

Egyptian papyrus

This papyrus fragment with hieroglyphic writing was placed in tombs to guide the dead into the afterlife.

Cat mummy from Egypt

Aside from humans, the Egyptians mummified animals as well, including the cat. Can you spot the tip of its nose?

Of all the exhibits, the cat mummy makes me feel the saddest, especially after learning that kittens were mummified as well.

Egyptian wall painting

Egyptian bead necklace

Exhibits also include varied pieces of ancient Egyptian jewellery, including ear studs as big as 50-cent coins! Surely that would result in enlarged earlobes, not unlike the modern body modification.

Mummy coffin from Egypt

For the dead to be recognised in the afterlife, their bodies were fitted with cartonnage mummy masks. These masks show the idealised features of the deceased, and are often gilded in gold to achieve a godlike form.

Mummy coffin from Egypt

The mummy coffins are pieces of art in their own right!

Mummy coffin from Egypt

Mummy from Egypt

Canopic jars from Egypt

These four canopic jars bear the shapes of the god Horus’ four sons — falcon, human, jackal and baboon. Can you guess what these containers are for? The answer is in the following write-up.

Click to enlarge

The exhibition features many information boards that provide useful explanations and elaborations on the Egyptian rituals and legends. This one elaborates on the details behind the process of mummification.

Mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru from Egypt

This is the mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru wrapped in pink linen cloth and strips of bandages. A blue beaded net design was placed on it. It represents the sky and places her under the protection of the sky goddess Nut.

Winged scarab from Egypt

The winged scarab, placed on top of the beaded nut, served to protect the heart.

Mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru from Egypt
Source: EPA/BGNES

This is the cartonnage coffin of the mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru, seen here being prepared for the exhibition by art handlers. Special prayers had to be carried out before the mummies were placed.

The exhibition ends April 4, 2010. Be sure to catch it here while you still can!

Event: Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt
Ends April 4, 2010
Time: 10am – 6pm
Venue: National Museum of Singapore
Admission fee: S$15 for adults, free for students and Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 60
Website

Tags: history, museum, National Museum

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Sparklette
195 tweets

My journey to ancient Egypt + Mummy Pics at http://sparklette.net/travel/singapore/a...
Reply
Tweeted March 12, 2010 at 9:13 am
- HeinLang
  1 tweet
  
  @sparklette Nice pic!… and do you know about dangerous Bezness in Egypt with tourist women? http://www.tunisiepro.net/tunisia/tunisi...
  Reply
  Tweeted March 12, 2010 at 9:35 am
Melissa
133 comments

Good pictures. Now I know what to expect when I go there this weekend :P
The mummy looks creepy. Especially since you zoomed in to the head portion!
Reply
Posted March 16, 2010 at 8:37 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  There are true stories of explorers and archaeologists who died mysteriously one after another after opening Egyptian tombs. So it does feel a little eerie when we are looking at a real mummy up close! The feeling is starkly different from going to the BodyWorlds exhibition. For the latter, you know that the bodies came from people that had willingly pledged their bodies to be exhibited. As for the mummies, it’s a different thing!
  Reply
  Posted March 17, 2010 at 12:29 am
  - Melissa
    133 comments
    
    ooo I vaguely remember some stories. They died from fever or malaria etc. Scary ><
    Reply
    Posted March 19, 2010 at 12:37 am
    - Veron
      3439 comments
      
      If you read the Adventures of Tintin comic series, one of the stories revolves around this.
      Reply
      Posted March 19, 2010 at 12:55 am
PY
183 comments

Wonderful photos. I particular like the angle which the statue of god Horus seated side by side with King Horemhab was being taken. Thank you for the article.
Reply
Posted March 18, 2010 at 8:42 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  You are most welcome! That photo with the two seated side by side was in fact provided by the museum. I tried to take a photo from the same angle, but my pocket camera could not do it justice. That’s one of my favourite pictures, too!
  Reply
  Posted March 19, 2010 at 12:35 am
Ellack
3 comments

Hi!
Just went to the exhibition today, and it was great!
Btw, there’s a 50% discount for visitors paying using Mastercard, so do grab the chance if interested.
Reply
Posted April 1, 2010 at 8:05 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Thanks for the tip! I’m sure people who are headed for the exhibition would appreciate it.
  Reply
  Posted April 2, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Hong Wei
4 comments

Great exhibition!
Was there on Sat and inside for 2hours+.
My conclusion : Amazing !
And also nice pictures you have! =)
Reply
Posted April 4, 2010 at 7:43 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Thanks! This is probably the one and only time we can see Egyptian mummies in Singapore so I took as many pictures as I could :)
  Reply
  Posted April 4, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Miso
7 comments

Managed to go down today to catch this exhibition! and FREE admission!! Lucky I didn’t miss this amazing exhibit :)
Reply
Posted April 4, 2010 at 10:59 pm