This paper is a brief outline of the history of Egyptian collections in Sweden, from the first diplomatic gifts in the 17th century to the current permanent Egyptian galleries at The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, which is part of The Swedish National Museums of World Culture.
The current exhibition was a first attempt at decolonizing the museum’s narrative of Egyptian history. By including Medieval and Early modern material in the exhibit, the aim was to bridge the imagined divide between Egypt’s past and present, and to highlight continuity in history and culture.
This decolonization is a work in progress, carried out in collaboration with researchers, artists and the Egyptian community on Stockholm. This year we are hosting our first artist-in-residence, multi-disciplinary artist Sara Sallam, whose interventions will provide a new perspective on the ancestral remains on display in our Egyptian galleries.