Egyptians liked to preserve the bodies of those they loved and turn them into mummies. Egypt has a dry climate and its soil contains preservatives like resin (a kind of gum) and bitumen (a kind of tar) so this was not difficult. After a person died, the brains and other organs were cut out and placed in special jas. The heart and kidneys were left in the body. What happened after this depended on how rich or important the dead person had been. The poor were wrapped in a thick layer of bitumen to keep the air out; the word mummy is Arabic for bitumen. The corpses of the rich were wrapped in linen bandages which had been soaked in resin. The bandage was criss-crossed leaving diamond shaped spaces which were decorated with precious stones and pieces of gold.

Special care was taken to preserve the face. Egyptians believed this was necessary if the soul was to recognise its own body. For the same reason a mask of the face was made and fitted over the head. The whole mummifying (embalming) process could take months. The mummy of a noble would have its neck filled out and artificial eyes fixed in the eye sockets. When a body was ready it was drawn to the banks of the Nile on a wooden sledge. A boat took it to the House of the Dead on the western bank.