Egypt has formally asked for the return of the mummified remains of the ancient priest Nekht, after Glasgow's Kelvingrove museum took them off display over ethical concerns. Glasgow Life, the charity running the museum, confirmed it received the request in the last few days, though it would not say who made it; it was first reported by The Sunday Post. Nekht is believed to have lived between 1985 and 1797 BC, and his painted coffin was withdrawn with his remains.

The remains came off display in October as part of a wider reassessment of how the museum presents human remains. Glasgow Life said ancient Egyptian remains should not be shown without documented and informed consent from the deceased or their descendants, and that removing them was more respectful. A mummified male head, right hand and right foot from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor were withdrawn at the same time. The objects are moving to dedicated storage with restricted access at the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

The move follows the International Council of Museums' revised code of ethics, published in June 2026, which says museums should uphold the dignity of human remains. Glasgow Life's draft policy proposes displaying such material only where consent is documented. The city's Hunterian Museum has taken a similar step, keeping the 2,700-year-old mummy known as Lady Shep-En-Hor covered with a conservation textile since August 2025, while her sarcophagus stays on view. Kelvingrove also plans to remove further archaeological remains.

Nekht's remains were excavated at Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt in the early twentieth century and donated to Glasgow in 1923, so they have been in Scotland for more than a century. Whether the request will be granted remains to be seen; Glasgow Life says the city has an established process for repatriation claims and will follow it. The case comes as Egypt presses more broadly for the return of its heritage, following the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum near Cairo, which holds more than 100,000 objects including Tutankhamun's treasures.