Why is an ancient mummy at the Vatican Museum upsetting the Sudanese?

A young Sudanese group launched a campaign through Twitter, to restore a mummy of a Sudanese princess which the British handed over during colonialism to the Vatican Museum.

The group, which called itself “ardent for the history of its country and eager to write it”, launched the hashtag “Return_Mummy_Amenirdis” to Sudan, as a step in its struggle to restore the statue of Princess Amenirdis the first, he daughter of the Kushite Kashta and Queen Pebatjma. She also was the sister of king Shabaka and king Piankhy (Piye) of the Kushite 25th Dynasty that ruled Sudan (Kush) and Egypt (Kemet).

After the group launched its campaign in September 2017 to submit a petition for the presidency The Republic of Sudan and the concerned parties to request to officially restore the mummy from the Vatican.

Who is Amenirdis?

Princess Amenirdis has a great position in Kush and Sudanese history, she was called “her highness the wife of God Amun” which was the highest religious authority at that time. She ruled Egypt from Luxor on behalf of her father. She was also titled “the upper and lower Egypt lady”, during the Sudanese Kushite rule on Egypt from the 7th century BC, she was considered the most powerful woman in the world at that time.

She has a shrine in Ramses III temple in Habu city, west of Luxor, where she ruled Egypt from. Thus she is an embodiment of the greatness and dignity of the Sudanese woman.