ABSTRACT
It is clear from the Arabic sources that the study of ancient cultures was genuinely valued for knowledge and guidance, believing that all human history was one, albeit of different peoples living in different places, essentially sharing a common origin and common destiny. The medieval Arab study of Egyptian culture is part of this universal historical approach rather than a narrow attempt to validate holy scriptures. Popular and scholarly interest in the subject of mummia and mummification, of both humans and animals, and the medicinal uses of the former, is common in medieval Arabic sources, and some scholars actually studied Egyptian mummies to settle anatomical problems. Many Arab writers believed that the Egyptian kings had been greatly concerned with the well-being of their subjects and had utilised all available sources, including magic, to achieve this.
