By Ibrahim Khan
The News, Karachi. Friday, October 27, 2000
KARACHI: A 2,600-year mummy of an 18-year-old Persian princess wearing gold crown, gold plate on her chest and gold symbol of monarchs and royal family was brought to Karachi by police from Quetta where its keeper was demanding Rs 600 million, Professor Emeritus Ahmad Hasan Dani, police and officials of National Museum of Pakistan said on Thursday.
"It is very difficult to adjudge its exact age," said Dani, while pointing his index finger at the mummy entombed in a nicely carved out stone cover kept in a heavy old wooden box, 196 cm long and 56 cm high, at the National Museum of Pakistan, after a press conference attended by dozens of journalists and photographers and high officials of police including Inspected General of Police Aftab Nabi.
A physical examination and decoding of 'Makhi' Cuneiform inscribed on the gold plate attached on the chest of the mummy with her both hands resting near the plate is likely to provide more details about the mummy, the professor of Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, told the crowded press conference after it was brought by road to Karachi from Quetta from where its keeper Sardar Wali Muhammad Reeki was arrested.
Reeki told the police an unidentified man after its very close examination for several days in Quetta had offered Rs 600 million but he did not disclose the name of the buyer and the country of his origin. Police have also arrested one of his colleagues from Quetta, where a case had been registered against Reeki for hiding the antique. If convicted he could be sentenced up to 10 years.
The "Taboot" containing the mummified body was discovered after earthquake in Kharan, Balochistan, from a damaged house in the mountains, Reeki told Farooq Awan, Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Anti-Terrorism Wing of Karachi police, who by chance got its clue during an investigation of a murder case and witnessing a video film in Karachi.
Seizing the great opportunity, Awan rushed to Quetta and with the help of local police raided the house and recovered, if found genuine, one of the greatest antique finds in Pakistan, which Dani said were originally found in Egypt.
"It is a major discovery outside Egypt," Dani said and added: "We have to solve its mystery about mummification as deciphering of its language, which is not Egyptian, would throw light on its origin. Egypt had its own customs and Iran had its own."
"It is up to the government of Pakistan and the Foreign Office to approach any other country for help in decoding the language written on the mummy," Dani said. He said the "Chattai", made of date leaves, seems to be modern but the mummy looked very old.
The Inspector General of Police said the mummy would be provided an utmost round-the-clock security inside the Museum. "It is a cross-border international case and the property (mummy) now belongs to the federal government," Aftab Nabi said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police of Karachi, Tariq Jameel, said police was consulting the law department about the case and its ownership. Awan said somebody with a knowledge of archaeology realised the worth and importance of the mummified body in the Taboot and it was passed on to Haji Sharif Shah Bakhi who kept it as "Amanat" (safe custody) with Sardar Wali Muhammad Reeki, who was trying to sell it quietly and had received offers of up to Rs 60 million.
Dr Asma Ibrahim, Curator, of the National Museum of Pakistan, said the mummy would be kept at a cool place under the vigilance of police to save its chemicals and wax which were showing signs of melting due to intense heat generated from powerful lights of video cameras during and after the press conference. A statement released by the police said: " Muhammad Farooq Awan, DSP, Anti Terrorist Wing, Crime Branch, Sindh, Karachi, received information that Haji Ali Akbar s/o Haji Ali Khan Baloch of Quetta has a video cassette of a mummified body, which is more than 2600 years' old.
"The DSP contacted Haji Ali Akbar and interrogated him regarding the video cassette and the mummified body. Haji Ali Akbar agreed to lead DSP Farooq Awan to a place in Quetta where according to him mummified body was kept. After completing the legal formalities through the Home Department, DSP Farooq Awan along with a Police party took Haji Ali Akbar to Quetta on 17-10-2000 and after informing the local police recovered the mummified body from the residence of Sardar Wali Muhammad Reeki in Satellite Town, Quetta and shifted the mummified body to Karachi.
"The experts of the archaeology department have prepared a brief note on this mummified body." Dr Asma said: "This Mummy is a princess aged 18 years' old. Her name was KHOR-UL-GAYAN or TUNDUL-GAYAN, and 2,600 years (approximately) back first rural of the area KAROOSH-UL-KABIR from the family of KHAMAM-UL-NISHIYAN was her father. They were Zurtasht. Gold plate on her chest, its cover and top of the box provides this information in Makhi Cuneiform.