World · Africa · 9 hrs ago
Egypt requests return of Nekht’s remains from Glasgow museum
Egypt has asked for Nekht’s remains to be returned from the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
Nekht was an ancient Egyptian man who lived between about 1985 and 1797 BCE.
The museum removed his mummified head from display in October, saying it did not have consent to exhibit human remains.
The museum will use its established process to decide what happens next, but it has not announced a decision.
The removal followed debate in Scotland over whether ancient human remains should be shown in museums.
Other human remains at Kelvingrove have also been removed or are due to be taken off display, including the bones of a Bronze Age child and adult from Scotland.
The request puts the focus on repatriation and how museums should treat human remains.
Egyptian authorities have requested the return of Nekht’s mummified remains from Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
The museum removed Nekht’s head from display in October, saying it lacked the consent needed to exhibit the remains.
Glasgow Life, which manages the museum, said it would follow its established process for repatriation requests.
Campaign for Real Education chairman Chris McGovern opposed the possible return, saying it would set a dangerous precedent.
The museum also plans to remove Bronze Age human remains from display and hold them in restricted-access storage.
- Who
- Egyptian authorities have requested the return of Nekht’s remains. Glasgow Life manages Kelvingrove.
- What
- Egypt wants the mummified remains repatriated from the museum.
- When
- The museum removed Nekht’s head from display in October 2026. Glasgow Life said it received the request in the few days before its statement.
- Where
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.
- Why
- The sources do not state Egypt’s reason for requesting the return.
Egyptian authorities
Chris McGovern
Aspect
Egyptian authorities
Egypt has requested the repatriation of Nekht’s remains.
Chris McGovern
McGovern said returning the remains would impoverish Scottish education and set a dangerous precedent.
Aspect
Egyptian authorities
Not stated.
Chris McGovern
He argued that museums should educate the public and that removing remains from display hides history.
Kelvingrove removed Nekht’s mummified head from display.
Glasgow Life said it had received a request in the previous few days to repatriate Nekht’s remains to Egypt.
- Museum
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
- Person
- Nekht, an ancient Egyptian man
- Remains
- Mummified head
- Removal from display
- October 2026
- Request
- Repatriation to Egypt
- Operator
- Glasgow Life
3 sources
What people are saying
We have received a request in the last few days to repatriate the Nekht remains to Egypt
Glasgow has a well-established process for repatriation requests. We will follow this process to guide our next steps.
The repatriation of Nekht’s remains to Egypt will impoverish Scottish education and it sets a dangerous precedent.
The purpose of museums is to educate, not to promote woke ideology.