Egyptian Museum, a portable shrine to the goddess Anuket

TURIN - The exhibition "A portable sanctuary for the goddess Anuket", curated by Paolo Del Vesco, museum archaeologist since 2014, debuts at the Egyptian Museum on January 14, with excavation experiences in Italy, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan.

At the center of the exhibition, which is part of the cycle In the scholar's laboratory, dedicated to the scientific activity conducted by curators and Egyptologists of the Museum's Collection and Research Department, there is a small wooden sanctuary, dating back to the time of Pharaoh Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC), dedicated to the goddess Anuket and other deities worshiped in the religious center of Elephantine, near Aswan, in southern Egypt.

The excellent state of conservation, the presence of a portico with two columns on the facade and the decorations on the walls, are some of the elements that make the artifact a unique object of its kind. For other examples of wooden shrines on a reduced scale, but belonging to different periods and in any case without the front portico with columns, it is necessary to disturb the funeral equipment of the pharaoh Tutankhamun. The sanctuary comes from the site of Deir el-Medina, the village that during the New Kingdom housed the artisans who made the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Also on display are some steles that testify to the religious life of the community of Deir el-Medina. There are two one-hour guided tours with the curator of the exhibition: on January 25th and March 1st, both at 4.30pm.Participation is allowed to a maximum of 25 people with online booking; the cost is 7 euros per person (excluding the entrance ticket). The exhibition ends on March 20.