Glasgow museum receives repatriation request for Nekht mummy

Last month, the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre removed all mummified remains from its Egyptian hall. The decision followed a reassessment of the museum's 'duty of care' toward the deceased.

A Glasgow Life spokesman confirmed the museum received a repatriation request in recent days, though the organisation could not confirm where the request had come from. The organisation said it has a 'well-established' process for handling such requests.

Among the items removed were the remains of the priest Nekht, who lived between 1985 and 1797 BC. The remains were donated to Glasgow in 1923. Other items included a mummified male head, a right hand from Luxor, and a mummified foot.

The remains were taken to the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre in Nitshill, which houses over 1.4 million objects, including facilities for human remains. A Glasgow Life spokesman said of the decision: 'We believe removing ancient Egyptian human remains from display is more respectful to the deceased individuals.'

The decision aligns with the revised Icom Code of Ethics for Museums, which emphasizes the 'inherent dignity of human remains' and calls for collaboration with descendants or communities when possible.

This move follows the Hunterian Museum's decision to conceal the remains of Lady Shep-En-Hor, a 2,700-year-old mummy, behind a conservation-grade textile called Tyvek since August 2025.