LEIDEN.- From 16 October 2025, the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in the Netherlands (the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden will present the major winter exhibition Discovering Ancient Egypt. After a successful world tour that attracted more than 1.5 million visitors, many masterpieces from the world-famous Egypt and Nubia collection are now back in Leiden. Together with special loans from Dutch and international museums, they tell a dazzling story about the life, the religion and the culture of ancient Egypt. Visitors can admire almost five hundred objects, including beautifully painted coffins, impressive statues and jewellery, colourful papyri, animal mummies and unique manuscripts. Many are on view in the Netherlands for the first time in decades, others are exhibited for the first time.

The fascination with Egypt is not only a modern phenomenon: people in ancient times also admired and revered the traditions and monuments of the Nile Valley. That age-old curiosity and the constant flow of new discoveries, research and insights form the common thread in the exhibition, with commentary from specialists.

Discovering Ancient Egypt will run until 15 March 2026. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursday evenings between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Old world, new stories

Discovering Ancient Egypt is not about the major, world-famous finds by renowned explorers, but instead about the countless smaller discoveries by contemporary researchers from fields such as archaeology, conservation and the natural sciences. From geomagnetic studies in the desert to meticulous archival work, their work constantly offers new insights. This is explained by specialists in short films in the exhibition.

A sense of wonder

Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians already viewed the culture of their predecessors with reverence and wonder. Beginning with these ancient Egyptian admirers, the exhibition then takes visitors past Arab scholars in the Middle Ages, via adventurers and collectors in the 19th century, to the researchers working today. Visitors will see one of the oldest maps of Egypt, extremely rare Arabic manuscripts amongst which early Islamic hieroglyphic studies. Garments, drawings and watercolours by 19th-century travellers such as Alexine Tinne and Willem de Famars Testas give a personal perspective on the appeal of ancient Egypt for Europe. One eye-catcher is the collection of golden burial gifts from the grave of General Djehuti, from the collections of the Louvre and the RMO. The pieces have now been reunited for the first time since their discovery 200 years ago.

Discovering Ancient Egypt then turns to the ancient Egyptians themselves. The exhibition sheds light on their surroundings, ideas, daily lives and beliefs with objects from their personal lives. Visitors can admire luxurious jewellery and amulets, musical instruments, woven reed sandals, and a game box with a formula wishing its owner good luck. There is also a special collection of animal mummies. Using X-rays and CT scans, they have been studied down to the very last detail. A short film highlights one of the most remarkable findings: the large crocodile mummy proved to contain not one but two young crocodiles, as well as dozens of baby crocodiles.

Visitors then enter the Egyptian realm of the dead, featuring memorial statues, papyrus sheets with magical texts and painted coffins. These were recently studied and restored. Scientific research, infrared photography and UV photography have revealed how they were made and which pigments were used to create the vibrant colours.