Further Synopsis

Show Me the Mummy – The Face of Takabuti Synopsis

The mummified remains of Takabuti were first unwrapped in Belfast in 1835.
This was to cause a sensation and an interest in the mummy that would continue until the present day.

In 2006, the Ulster Museum closed its doors for major refurbishment. During this time, all its exhibit pieces were stored away at a secret location.
A small group of experts came together and persuaded the museum to allow them access to the mummy, Takabuti, in the hope that they could discover more about this woman – who she was, where she came from and, most importantly, what she looked like!
Universities from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would share their resources.

Experts were to travel to Egypt to explore the iconic locations to discover Takabuti’s place of birth and her burial place.
The enigmatic, Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, plays a key role in unravelling the mysteries of the mummy, opening up a closed tomb and guiding our experts around the stunning Cairo Museum.

The story of Takabuti would reveal the story of Dr Edward Hincks, a pastor from Killyleagh, who broke the cryptic codes of the mummy’s hieroglyphs, yet was to be written out of history and die a broken man.
Show Me the Mummy – The Face of Takabuti will, for the first time since the Egyptian 25th dynasty, reveal the true face of Takabuti - a face that will be on permanent display when the Ulster Museum re-opens in October 2009.