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Egyptian mummies were dried with a natural salt

By The Salt AlmanacPublished November 8, 2026

Natron, a salt mixture harvested from dry lake beds such as Egypt's Wadi El Natrun, soaks up water, so embalmers used it to dry bodies. The name survives in chemistry: sodium's symbol, Na, comes from natrium, a name derived from natron.

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The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Egyptian mummies were dried with a natural salt. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/natron-mummies

Original sources

  1. Wikipedia. Natron. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natron
  2. Wikipedia. Sodium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium