The story of Perth Museum and Art Gallery’s ancient Egyptian mummy, Ta-Kr-Hb, is one that has fascinated visitors and staff since she was first presented to Perth Museum in the 1930s.

In 2013, Ta-Kr-Hb made a short journey to the Manchester Royal Children’s Hospital. Her check-up included a CT scan, X-rays and a close examination of her coffin or sarcophagus. Everyone was thrilled to discover she definitely was female and that she had a name, written in hieroglyphics on the lid of the coffin:  Ta-kr-hb [pronounced ‘Takerheb’]. This is a known female name but as yet its meaning is not understood.

Almost 85 years after arriving in Perth, Ta-Kr-Hb needs your help.  Now too fragile to be displayed in public, she urgently requires conservation to ensure her preservation for future generations and so her story can be shared in Perth City Hall, currently undergoing a multi-million-pound transformation into a world-class museum set to open in 2022.

The museum will showcase objects from one of Scotland’s oldest and most important public collections, and a number of star exhibits will be displayed in the new galleries.

The cost of the conservation work on Ta-Kr-Hb is over £16,000. Culture Perth and Kinross, the charitable trust which manages Perth’s museums and galleries, will ensure a contribution through public grants and several thousands of pounds have already been collected through previous fundraising efforts, but over £7,000 is still required.

Culture Perth and Kinross is now launching the second phase of their campaign and hoping the public will get behind this and raise the much-needed money to enable the conservation work to go ahead. Not only will this allow her condition to be stabilised for display but will enable the creation of a 3-D digital reconstruction of her face.

To donate to the campaign please go to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CPKmummy

All donations will help guarantee a future for this ancient, unique and much-loved Mummy.

Mark Hall, Collections Officer at Perth Museum said “This is a wonderful opportunity to give Ta-Kr-Hb the specialist care and attention she needs so that she can more fully share with us the story of her life in ancient Egypt.”