It may not be a trip into the depths of an Egyptian pyramid but Perth Museum and Art Gallery staff hope a series of “mummy tours” into their vaults will prove a huge draw to the public.
For one day only the museum is hosting the free five-minute tours of the storage area where a fragile 3000-year-old mummy is kept in climate-controlled conditions to preserve her condition as much as possible.
Believed to be either an Egyptian princess or priestess, the mummy has been a feature of the museum’s collections since her arrival from Alloa Museum in 1935.
She was once on permanent display in the lower gallery of the museum but display has had to be restricted to halt deterioration.
A modern fibre-glass replica of a sarcophagus which was made as a prop for the 1959 Hammer Horror film The Mummy starring Christopher Lee will be on display upstairs throughout the day.
In the film it was used to bury the body of Princess Ananka and it is thought the replica came to Perth as a publicity prop when The Mummy was shown in town.
It was also used in the 1960s to dress one of the shop windows at McEwens before being given to Perth Museum.
Mummy tours will take place from 10.30am until 3.30pm on January 29 and booking is not required.
Access to the storage area is via steep steps and may not be suitable for under fives. Photography is not permitted.