CJMY
Sarawak will host Egyptian mummies from Italy next year. The Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching will show them from July 2027.
The six-month exhibition brings artefacts and actual human remains dating back more than 5,000 years. They come from the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.
Here is what will be on show, why it runs for six months and what is still unknown.
What will be on the Egyptian mummies show
The exhibition is titled “Egyptian Mummies: Journey Towards Immortality”. Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah announced it.
It will open at the museum in July 2027. No exact day has been given yet. The show runs for six months.
The show features two mummies of aristocrats and royalty, plus 110 artefacts, The Rakyat Post reported. The mummies are not those of known pharaohs.
The same exhibits were shown at the National Museum of History in Taipei from 18 June to 28 September 2026.
The 110 artefacts include canopic jars, amulets, bandages and ritual equipment. Ancient Egyptians used such items to prepare the dead for the afterlife.
The mummies will sit in a specially designed temple setting. That should give visitors a sense of ancient burial rites.
Why Sarawak chose six months
Karim called the show a first for Southeast Asia. He said such museum tie-ups usually take a long time to arrange.
He explained the long run. “It’s already difficult to bring in the exhibits,” he said. “If you want to do it for a month, it’s a loss.”
“So we will do it for six months, and it will be a totally new attraction to locals,” he added.
He spoke to reporters after winding up the debate for his ministry in the Sarawak state legislative assembly.
The exhibition is a joint effort. The Sarawak Museum Department worked with the Florence museum to bring it here.
He said the Sarawak Museum Department’s success shows its capability. It also shows a proactive approach to partnerships with world-renowned museums.
The Rakyat Post said Sarawakian curators will train each year at the British Museum. They will also train at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. The skills help the department stage more such shows.
What visitors should know
Organisers have not announced ticket prices or sales dates. The museum department has not estimated visitor numbers either, Newswav reported.
Six months from July runs to about the end of 2027. Organisers have not said how many visitors the galleries can host at once.
The wait gives travellers time to plan. Sarawak keeps adding cultural drawcards, such as the return of a Kenyah sunhat to the museum.
The state also courts visitors by sea. For example, it recently welcomed cruise tourists with cultural splendour.
Visitors from afar should watch the museum’s channels for dates and tickets. We will update this story once organisers announce them.
The exhibition runs for six months from July 2027. That leaves time for school groups and families to visit.
Nothing is final until organisers confirm the opening day. Even so, the plan is clear. Real Egyptian mummies are coming to Borneo, and Kuching is the host city.
C. Khor
Yalinie Mathan
Amirull Salihing
Add comment