7 Mummies in Stunning Preservation States

It is true that the very concept of mummification involves the preservation of corpses, even long after the death of the individual. However, some cases become notorious for the almost miraculous ability with which bodies remain relatively intact - some even appear to be just asleep.

Despite supernatural theorizing, there are several factors that contribute to the amazing preservation of some corpses. The process can be intentional or accidental, and usually involves exposure to certain chemicals, extreme cold (mummies found on ice), low humidity, high amounts of salt in the soil, and so on. The result, however ... This one is much less academic. Check it out below.

The Beauty of Loulan

The woman in this photo died 3, 800 years ago on a trail known as the “Silk Road” in Loulan, western China. Not only her, but also 200 other mummies were remarkably preserved thanks to the dry, highly salinated soil of the place.

Since its discovery, however, the government has been reluctant to grant access to researchers. That's because "Beauty of Loulan" was a Caucasian woman - the same Uyghur race, physically similar to Europeans, who claim to have been the original inhabitants of the place. A mummy almost 4, 000 years old would surely shake things up.

A 200 year meditation

The mummified body of the image above was found on January 27 this year in Mongolia. It is the corpse of a nineteenth-century monk who died more than 150 years ago, yet still holds the meditative position known as the "lotus." It is believed to be Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, buryat Buddhist belonging to the Tibetan tradition.

Sleeping Beauty"

The mummy of the girl Rosalia Lombardo has been dealt with in other articles here at Mega Curioso. However, the impressive preservation of the corpse, which died in 1920, certainly deserves a comeback. Rosalia reportedly died of pneumonia at the age of two.

His inconsolable father sought out the famous embalmer and taxidermist Alfredo Salafia to preserve his body - which has remained largely unchanged since it was deposited in the Capuchin Catacombs, located in Cicilia.

The “Dai Maiden”

The title “Maiden of Hence” is one of the best preserved mummies ever found. About 2, 100 years old, the body belonged to a prominent Han Dynasty figure - something made clear by the objects found in his tomb.

Qilakitsoq's mummy

Initially, this little Eskimo baby was mistaken for a doll. Subsequently, the mummy of a deceased child approximately 6 months old was identified.

Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov's mummy

Perhaps one of the most striking cases on this list, Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov's body remains to this day, nearly 90 years after his death, virtually unchanged - at least from a macroscopic point of view. Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov was one of the spiritual leaders of Buddhism in Russia.

Prior to his death in 1927, the monk asked that his body be buried in the "lotus" position. One clause, however, demanded that the religious's body be exhumed some time later.

The preservation conditions of the corpse - which could well pass for a dead person of no more than 12 hours -, however, make many believe in a miracle. Equally noteworthy, however, is the fact that the religious authorities responsible for the temple ensure that no method of preservation has been used since the monk's death. Enthusiasts claim that Itigilov would have been able to predict the incorruptibility of his body.

The “Tollund Man”

Despite its peaceful and peaceful appearance, the corpse in the image above is of a man who probably died as part of a ritual of sacrificing some deity - more than two thousand years ago.