‘Perfumes of Egypt. Through the Ages’ at the egyptian Museum in Cairo
A unique exhibition in the heart of Egypt
For three months, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo hosted an exceptional exhibition entitled ‘Perfumes of Egypt: Through the Ages’. Offering visitors a sensory immersion into the world of ancient Egyptian perfumes, this exhibition marked an important milestone in the history of olfactory museography.
An international exhibition
Labex ARCHIMEDE at the helm
The Labex ARCHIMEDE in Montpellier (France 2030 programme, ANR-11-LABX-0032-01), renowned for its interdisciplinary research on ancient civilisations, in collaboration with the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, designed and organised this exhibition of objects bearing witness to the history of perfumed oils, ointments and incense from the Pharaonic era to the Greco-Roman, Coptic and Arab periods. But an exhibition about perfumes also needed olfactory content! That's why LabEx called on three companies to develop an educational virtual reality experience with an olfactory touch.
- Inod Solutions: Creation and development of virtual reality content (Laval)
- Nez'bulleuse : Olfactory creation (Montpellier). Historical reconstruction of perfumes
- OLFY: Olfactory diffusion technology synchronised with the virtual experience (Laval)
Our mission: on-site installation and training
Nathalie Gondeau from Nez’bulleuse, Clothilde Dubernet from OLFY, Sandra Reboullet from LabEx ARCHIMEDE and Clément Peltier from Inod Solutions
Our team travelled to the egyptian Museum in Cairo to oversee the complete installation of the scent diffusion system. This mission included not only the technical installation of our equipment, but also training for the museum's local teams.
This training was essential to ensure the smooth operation of the system throughout the three-month exhibition and to enable the Egyptian teams to independently manage the daily experience offered to visitors.
The olfactory VR experience: The highlight of the exhibition
A thousand-year-old ritual rediscovered
Olfactory virtual reality has been fully integrated into the exhibition design by the LabEx teams, offering visitors a truly immersive experience of ancient Egyptian embalming rituals, sacred practices in which scents played a fundamental role in preparing bodies for the afterlife.
A journey in three stages
The experience unfolded in three distinct scenes, each revealing the different stages of the rituals of the time and the characteristic scents that accompanied them. Visitors thus gradually discovered the spiritual and symbolic importance of perfumes in ancient Egyptian beliefs.
The fragrances of eternity
Three historic scents recreated
Thanks to the meticulous reconstruction work carried out by Nez'bulleuse under the scientific direction of LabEx Egyptologists, three emblematic fragrances of ancient Egypt have been authentically recreated for this exhibition:
- Kyphi : This sacred perfume, considered one of the most prestigious in Antiquity, was used in religious and funeral ceremonies. Composed of multiple precious ingredients, it symbolised the connection between the earthly world and the divine.
- Myrrh: An aromatic resin essential in embalming rituals, myrrh was highly valued for its purifying and preservative properties. Its deep fragrance evoked the sacredness and protection of the deceased.
- Lotus: The sacred flower par excellence in Egyptian culture, the lotus represented rebirth and regeneration. Its delicate fragrance accompanied funeral rites as a symbol of eternity.
Our technology at the service of authenticity
Our diffusion technology released these fragrances at precisely the moment they corresponded to the scenes being viewed. This perfect synchronisation created total sensory coherence, amplifying the immersion and allowing visitors to be enveloped in the atmosphere of ancient practices.
The importance of scents in Egyptian funeral rites
This experience highlighted an often overlooked aspect of Egyptian civilisation: the central role of perfumes in funeral rituals. Scents were not mere adornments, but essential spiritual elements, believed to facilitate the deceased's passage to the afterlife and ensure their eternal protection.
By allowing visitors to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to smell these ancient fragrances, the experience offered a deeper and more tangible understanding of the beliefs and traditions of ancient times.
A success that paves the way
This three-month exhibition at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo demonstrated the public's appetite for cultural experiences enriched by the olfactory dimension. By adding the sense of smell to the historical discovery, we enabled a stronger emotional and memorial connection with Egypt's cultural heritage. The success in Cairo paved the way for an adaptation of this exhibition in Paris, demonstrating international interest in this type of immersive experience.
A new dimension for museography
By contributing our expertise to LabEx ARCHIMEDE as part of this exceptional exhibition held at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we were able to demonstrate that our olfactory technology, synchronised with the virtual experience, undeniably enriches the transmission of cultural heritage to the widest possible audience.
This transforms a museum visit into a complete sensory journey, where history is no longer just seen or heard, but can also be smelled.