"A roasted or fried duck?" With this phrase, thousands of Egyptians commented on social media about a picture of a duck that appeared in the Mummification Museum in Luxor. The spread of an image of this mummified duck, which has been preserved for 82 years in a glass case, alongside a sign that reads "Duck mummified by Dr. Zaki Iskandar in 1942," has generated widespread debate among Egyptians. Many social media users questioned why it appeared in this condition, unlike hundreds of items mummified by the ancient Egyptians.
The "roasted duck" has stirred significant controversy after a photo of it circulated on Facebook, garnering substantial interaction. Museum director Mohamed Shehata clarified that Zaki Iskandar conducted this experiment many years ago as a model to demonstrate that modern Egyptians have successfully discovered the secrets of mummification that were practiced during ancient Egyptian civilization. He added that the duck, which was mummified after being naturally slaughtered, was displayed as a sample for Egyptian guests and tourists from around the world, explaining the mummification steps carried out by ancient Egyptians.
It is worth mentioning that Iskandar is considered an expert in the sciences of archaeology and ancient Egyptian history and was among the first archaeologists to present a mummification sample using the same techniques as the ancient Egyptians. He is also regarded as a pioneer in the field of restoration in Egypt and was the first to decipher the mummification processes of the ancient Egyptians.
