This picture taken on January 31, 2019 shows the golden sarcophagus of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC), displayed in his burial chamber in his underground tomb (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile river opposite the southern Egyptian city of Luxor (650 kilometres south of the capital Cairo). - The famous tomb underwent a nine-year conservation by a team of international specialists. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP)
This picture taken on January 31, 2019 shows the golden sarcophagus of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC), displayed in his burial chamber in his underground tomb (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile river opposite the southern Egyptian city of Luxor (650 kilometres south of the capital Cairo). - The famous tomb underwent a nine-year conservation by a team of international specialists. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP)
This picture taken on January 31, 2019 shows the golden sarcophagus of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC), displayed in his burial chamber in his underground tomb (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile river opposite the southern Egyptian city of Luxor (650 kilometres south of the capital Cairo). - The famous tomb underwent a nine-year conservation by a team of international specialists. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP)
This picture taken on January 31, 2019 shows the golden sarcophagus of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC), displayed in his burial chamber in his underground tomb (KV62) in the Valley

Why the 'Pharaoh's Curse' is a myth: how a 1904 media report gave rise to a legend


James Langton
  • English
  • Arabic

"I read it in the Daily Express". Information that should always be treated with caution when it comes from a British tabloid with a reputation for unreliable weather predictions and dubious accounts of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.

In this instance, it is a 1904 report from ace reporter Bernard Fletcher Robinson on an ancient mummy case in the British Museum, alleged to be that of an Egyptian priestess.

All is reasonably straightforward in the article, until the point at which Robinson types the words: “Facts I will presently relate are true.”

This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. Some have attributed the incident to the so-called 'Pharaoh's Curse'. AP
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. Some have attributed the incident to the so-called 'Pharaoh's Curse'. AP

What follows is an entirely unverified claim that various unnamed tragedies are the result of an ancient curse.

“I have now in my possession proofs of the identity of all those who suffered from the anger of the priestess of Amen Ra. But for the sake of friends and relatives I have been requested to suppress the names,” Robinson writes, conveniently.

The mummy myth returns

The idea of a mummy’s curse is one that will not lie down. It stumbles, wrapped in bandages and growling with menace even into the 21st century.

Most recently it has arisen in Egypt again with everything from the container ship Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal to a deadly building collapse and a fatal train crash blamed on a parade of the mummified bodies of pharaohs through Cairo to the new National Museum.

Scroll through the gallery below for images from Egypt's Pharaohs' Golden Parade:

How it all began

Robinson’s account, over a century ago, popularised the idea, which had been around since hieroglyphs were first properly decoded in the 1820s and the discovery of dire warnings on the walls of Egyptian tombs intended to deter tomb robbers – almost entirely without success.

It only really took hold with the discovery, in 1922, of the fabulous tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun in an expedition funded by the British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon.

Four months later, Carnarvon was dead in a Cairo hotel. A mosquito bite, made worse by a shaving cut, led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. He was 56 and had been in poor health following a near fatal car crash in 1903 – one of the reasons he frequently visited the warmer climate of North Africa.

At this point, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle enters the story. The creator of Sherlock Holmes had been devastated by the deaths of his son and brother both from pneumonia and had developed an intense interest in the spirit world.

He was also a close friend of Robinson, who had given him the idea for The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Ask for his views on the cause of Carnarvon’s death, the great man, now in his early sixties, pronounced: “The ancient Egyptians were very anxious to guard the tombs of their Kings. There is reason to believe that they placed elementals on guard, and such may have caused Lord Carnarvon’s death.”

It was tabloid fodder, as newspapers scavenged for other titbits, including the death of his lordship’s pet canary, which was eaten by a snake, and a wealthy American who died of pneumonia after visiting the tomb.

In fact, no curse was ever discovered on Tutankhamun's tomb. Carnarvon's death can be easily explained on his very poor health and the fact antibiotics were not available for another 20 years. A simple course of penicillin would have probably saved his life.

Even Robinson’s original story does not quite stand up to fact checking. There is no body accompanying the mummy he described in the British Museum, or any evidence it belonged to a priestess.

Not that anyone ever challenged the Daily Express journalist on his account. At the age of 37 in 1907, Conan Doyle's old friend had died from a bout of typhoid fever. There were those who looked at his most famous story from three years earlier and wondered "what if?"

Scroll through the gallery below for Egypt's most famous mummies: 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info

Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace

Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

Brief scores:

Manchester United 4

Young 13', Mata 28', Lukaku 42', Rashford 82'

Fulham 1

Kamara 67' (pen),

Red card: Anguissa (68')

Man of the match: Juan Mata (Man Utd)

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
FA Cup quarter-final draw

The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March

Sheffield United v Arsenal

Newcastle v Manchester City

Norwich v Derby/Manchester United

Leicester City v Chelsea

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On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
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