GALLERY | FLOOR 1
Egypt and Sudan
The Egypt and Sudan Gallery tells stories of the people we now call ‘ancient Egyptians’, a diverse population who lived in Northeastern Africa from around 3000 to 30 BCE.
The museum’s outstanding collection of Egyptian and Sudanese objects – one of the largest in the UK – illustrates both everyday life and preparations for the afterlife. As well as the people and places of ancient Egypt, the gallery tells equally important stories about the ways in which objects were found and moved. Following the British invasion of Egypt in 1882, the European-controlled Egyptian government allowed foreign archaeologists to export some of the items they excavated on Egyptian and Sudanese land. This led competitive and wealthy European businessmen to sponsor archaeologists to search for objects which would be displayed in the West.
CURATOR OF EGYPT AND SUDAN, DR CAMPBELL PRICE, SPEAKING TO VISITORS WITHIN THE GOLDEN MUMMIES OF EGYPT EXHIBITION.
THE FUTURE OF ASRU
The mummified body of a woman called Asru is currently on display in the Egypt and Sudan Gallery. It was unwrapped at the Manchester Natural History Society in April 1825 and she has regularly been on display for the two centuries since. In that time, we have also changed as a museum and are thinking more about how we care for people.
To mark 200 years since her unwrapping, we have started a conversation about her future. A consultation that invited the thoughts of visitors concluded in September and is part of a longer process that will see us have conversations with people in Egypt, colleagues and communities.
ASRU’S COFFIN, ON DISPLAY IN THE EGYPT AND SUDAN GALLERY.
Asru’s story
Asru lived in southern Egypt around 2,700 years ago. When she died the transformative rituals of mummification were performed on her body, which was carefully wrapped in layers of linen cloth and buried into finely decorated wooden coffins. This took place on the west bank of the southern city of Thebes, where she probably lived. Hieroglyphs on her coffins give the names of her mother Tadiamun and her father, an important official named Pa-Kush meaning the Kushite Man, indicating that he came from the area of southern modern Egypt or northern modern Sudan.
Asru’s mummified body was acquired in Egypt in the early 1800s by Robert and William Garnett. She was shipped to Manchester and unwrapped at the Manchester Natural History Society in April 1825.
Find out more in the blog from Curator of Egypt and Sudan, Dr Campbell Price. We are aiming to make a decision about Asru’s continued display by April 2026.
Stories from the gallery
Spinning statue
Visitor Team member Ian recounts the story of the ‘spinning’ statue, which resulted in your Museum’s Egypt and Sudan Gallery receiving worldwide attention.
Asru
The mummified body of a woman named Asru is currently on display within the Egypt and Sudan Gallery and, in the summer of 2025, we started a process of consulting visitors, communities, colleagues in Egypt and staff about her continued display.
Gallery highlights
Spinning statue
Famous as the ‘spinning statue,’ this serpentine figure of a man stands with left foot forward, wearing a wig and kilt, hands resting palm-down in a gesture of prayer to the gods.
The ‘Two Brothers’ tomb group
The Tomb of Two Brothers from Deir Rifeh, Egypt, dates to the 12th Dynasty and holds the chamber tomb of high-status priests Nakht-Ankh and Khnum-Nakht. The complete tomb group is part of our displays and research collection.
The Riqqeh Pectoral
The Riqqeh Pectoral, a Twelfth Dynasty gold chest ornament inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, and turquoise, exemplifies Middle Kingdom royal jewellery and is among the most intricate and colourful pieces in the collection.