How dead bodies are preserved

 

The process of preserving a dead body in a special process is called mummification.  Earlier, for mummification, the corpse was first taken to a place called Ibu and purified.For purification, the body was first washed with Tari (wine made from palm juice) and then thoroughly cleaned with blue river water.The body was then taken to a mummification room called Par-nefar and placed on a wooden table.All the internal organs of the corpse were then removed to protect it from decay.

At first, the brain was inserted through the nose with the help of an iron hook by inserting some sharp needles inside the nose of the corpse.The left side of the corpse was then cut with a blade made of obsidian stone and the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines were removed.These organs were wrapped in a jute cloth with an eighteen coating called resin and stored in a canopic jar.The corpses were then washed again.The limbs were filled with incense and other substances to remove the limbs.Then the whole body was covered with a type of salt called Natron and kept for 35-40 days.  This neutron absorbs water from the carcass without damaging the skin.

After 40 days, the body was taken to a purification house called Wabet.The incense and other substances were then removed from the body and the empty space was filled with resin-soaked cloths, nitrons and other substances.Then the cut areas were sewn and the whole body was coated with resin.The body was then bandaged with resin glue and jute cloth for about two weeks.People involved in mummification used to chant mantras while bandaging.At the end of the bandage, the hands and feet were tied together and a mantra is written on papyrus collected from the Book of the Dead was stuck between the hands.  Different parts of the body were then enclosed in a tight cage and a mask was placed over the head.The caged body was then placed in a coffin and given in the coffin with various foodstuffs, valuable jewellery, etc. for the afterlife.