Australians really love their mummies.
The exhibition Discovering Ancient Egypt, now on at the National Museum of Australia, has so far attracted more than 196,000 visitors, the highest number for an exhibition at the museum in its 23-year history.
It has had visitors from the ACT and the surrounding regions as well as from interstate and overseas.
You can be one of the people who brings the number up to 200,000 or more - it's on until September 8.
From the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden), the exhibition features 220 objects dating from 3700 BC to the 16th century AD including decorated coffins, ornate sculptures, Book of the Dead scrolls, jewellery and mummified people, including a 16-year-old girl, and animals, including a cat and a crocodile.
National Museum of Australia director Katherine McMahon said, "Discovering Ancient Egypt offers people the opportunity to immerse themselves in an ancient culture enduring over many thousands of years and that continues to inspire and intrigue.
"The success of our Canberra exhibition goes to show our fascination with the land of the pyramids knows no bounds."
"With the exhibition running until September 8 there is still plenty of time for people to come and experience first-hand the incredible and rare objects from an awe-inspiring culture on display."
The exhibition is one of three well-attended Ancient Egypt-themed exhibitions that have, coincidentally, been on this year, the others being in Sydney and Melbourne.
The second most popular exhibition at the National Museum of Australia was A History of the World in 100 Objects (British Museum) which had 178,220 visits.
Lead curator at the National Museum of Australia Craig Middleton said, "We all know something about Ancient Egypt."
Whether it's the pop culture phenomena of killer mummies and curses or the Pyramid of Giza, historical figures such as Cleopatra and Tutankhamen, hieroglyphs and gods like Anubis, people have long been fascinated by this ancient and complex culture.
Mr Middleton said one of the striking things about the exhibition was that "it offers visitors an in-depth look at everyday life" rather than simply focusing on the wealthy people of Ancient Egypt.
"We see a lot of care and respect for the deceased," Mr Middleton said.
Those who could afford it were mummified to preserve their bodies The civilisation had no currency but operated on a barter system.
"You needed to know people."
But even those who couldn't afford elaborate preparations could rely on the climate and environment of the desert to have a natural mummifying effect on their remains.
The museum worked with the Dutch museum and consulted with the Egyptian-Australian communities in Canberra to ensure the exhibition's elements were handled in appropriate ways.
Quotidian objects such as a woven reed basket for toiletries and linen, made to be used on the journey into the afterlife, were on display as well as coffins intricately decorated on every side, Mr Middleton said.
This world and the afterlife were intimately connected in Ancient Egypt, leading to careful preparation of the dead who undertook their journey to the god Osiris. He would weigh their hearts against the feather of truth to determine their sins. Those who passed the test could proceed to paradise, those who failed would have their heart devoured by the goddess Ammit and cease to exist.
Funerary cones with the names of the deceased were placed outside tombstones.
"People passing by would say the name of the decreased to keep their spirits alive."
And people's insatiable curiosity and exhibitions such as this keep the memory of Ancient Egypt alive.
- Discovering Ancient Egypt is on at the National Museum of Australia until September 8. More information and tickets: nma.gov.au.
