Sleeping Beauty Mystery: A mummy that winks at tourists. Living mummies among us

Baby angelic face Rosalia Lombardo captivates with beauty. Plump lips, tender cheeks and closed eyes - she has remained this way for almost a century. The body of two-year-old Rosalia was embalmed using a special technology, and today "Sleeping Beauty" considered the best preserved mummy in the world. However, this mummy has its own secret, which will shock everyone who dares to look at it.

Baby Rosalia was only two years old when she died of pneumonia in 1920. The inconsolable father, not knowing how to survive the pain of loss, turned to the famous embalmer and taxidermist Alfred Salafia for help with a request to save the body of an angelic child. The specialist coped with the task perfectly: for a century the body of the crumbs lay in the burial catacombs in Palermo (Italy). The girl's body looked beautiful, it seemed that she had fallen asleep for a while and was about to wake up. Puffy cheeks, elegant hair with a bow - Rosalia looked like a living thing.

When scientists discovered the mummified body of Rosalia, they gave her the name "Sleeping Beauty". Having illuminated the body with X-rays, they were amazed: the internal organs remained incorruptible. Today, the body of Rosalia Lombardo is considered one of the best preserved mummies in the world.

The mummy of Rosalia also has its own mystery: visitors who come with an excursion to the catacombs assure that you can see how the baby opens her blue eyes. What they see causes fear among tourists. According to one version, the “wink” effect occurs due to temperature changes inside the crypt, the skin of the eyelids shrinks, slightly opening the pupils. However, exhibition curator Dario Piombino-Mascali believes that the winking eyes are an optical illusion. As the sun illuminates the catacombs, the rays fall on the girl's face so that her eyes look ajar. During the day, this phenomenon can be observed several times. Dario found the answer in 2009, when museum workers moved the girl's coffin, and it became clear that the eyelids were ajar.

It is also interesting that Dario found the relatives of a talented embalmer, and they have preserved documents with a detailed description of the procedure for embalming the body. Instead of removing all the internal organs, Alfred Salafia made a puncture in the body and gradually introduced substances one by one, which ensured the perfect preservation of the body over time. Formalin killed the bacteria, glycerin was used to prevent the body from drying out, salicylic acid was used as an antifungal agent. In addition, Salafiya used zinc chloride to make the body petrify, and there were no further dips in the cheeks and nasal cavity.

Photos from open sources

Two centuries ago, a Mongolian monk sat in the lotus position and has remained in this state until now, having turned into a dry mummy over all this time. You might think that the Buddhist died, but it turned out that this is not entirely true. (website)

Barry Kerzina, who is not only a personal doctor, but also a good friend of the leader of all Buddhists on the planet, the Dalai Lama, said that the dried body found in the Mongolian province of Songinokhairkhan cannot be considered a corpse. According to a specialist in the field of medicine, a monk is in a deep meditative state called tukdam, and since his consciousness is alive, then the personality itself is also alive.

As a result of such a long meditation, Buddhists try to reach the highest spiritual state, bringing them closer to the Buddha himself. And the longer a person meditates like this, the closer he is to his spiritual teacher and the legendary founder of Buddhism. Kerzina is convinced that the mummy can sit like this for many hundreds of years, while the consciousness of a Buddhist will invariably improve and comprehend new secrets of the universe, until the monk, finally, can not be compared with the Buddha in terms of spiritual experience.

Photos from open sources

The mummy was also examined by ordinary doctors, far from religion. After a series of examinations and analyzes, the affected physicians recognized that the protein structure of the body clearly has a lifetime state. Thus, according to many medical indicators, the monk is really alive. However, the body has a low temperature, and there is no cardiac activity.

Russia has its own "live" mummy of a Buddhist

Over the past fifty years, more than a hundred similar mummies have been found in Asian countries, sitting in the lotus position. Like the monk described above, they are in a state between life and death, which official medicine cannot explain. Some monks are imprisoned in metal statues, apparently serving to protect them. Buddhists report that from such a state people no longer return to their dried up bodies, however, they cannot be buried in the earth, since they are by no means dead.

Photos from open sources

Recall that in Russia, too, there is such a person. In 1911-1917, the Buryat was the leader of the Buddhists in Eastern Siberia. In June 1927, he stopped showing visible signs of life and was placed in a sarcophagus. After that, the coffin was repeatedly opened, but the body after all the years remained intact. It does not rot, does not decompose, and does not even seem to dry out. The last time the "remains" of Dashi-Dorzho was checked in October 2002, when the sarcophagus was solemnly transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan. Russian scientists then took tissue samples from a Buddhist and were forced to admit that they corresponded to the tissues of a living person.

It is noteworthy that orthodox scientists, unable to explain such phenomena, in such cases prefer not only to remain silent, but in every possible way "hush up" the matter, refusing to contribute to the appearance of a sensation.

Incredible Facts

In modern society, death is treated differently than in the distant past.

Unlike us, who consider funerals to be a sad event, our ancestors arranged whole holidays with the performance of complex mystical rituals.

These creepy yet fascinating rituals were mandatory in ancient society when it came to human burial.

Sometimes even the dead have their own fascinating stories.

Ramesses

1. Ramesses III

We know the following about the ancient Egyptians: they skillfully built pyramids, and also embalmed with a special composition of the body of the dead. Well-preserved mummies are a kind of window that allows us to look into the distant past.

A few mummies from that period have survived and come down to us, but the mummified remains of Ramesses III are of particular interest to archaeologists. This is one of the most mysterious figures of ancient Egypt.

Ramses III was a pharaoh who dutifully served Egypt during the reign of the 20th Dynasty. For more than a thousand years, scholars have been actively discussing the events leading up to his death. Fortunately for scientists, his body was treated with a complex of complex substances, thanks to which, even after centuries the remains are preserved.

Many questions were answered after the tomb of Ramesses was discovered by archaeologists. Experts found on the neck deep cut 7 cm long.

According to scientists, it was this cut that caused the rupture of large blood vessels, the esophagus and trachea, which led to the death of one of the greatest Egyptian pharaohs. Presumably, Ramesses was killed by his sons.

2. Man from Grauballe

In the middle of the last century, archaeologists discovered several mummies in the peat bogs of Denmark, which, despite their age, remarkably well preserved.

Among all the bodies found, scientists were especially struck by the mummified body of a young man.

Surprisingly, the mummy's facial features are preserved, and a mop of fiery red hair frames the skull of the deceased. And the whole mummy as a whole is a spectacle not for the faint of heart.

Thanks to radiocarbon analysis carried out by experts on the remains of the liver, the exact date of the guy's life was established. Experts believe that the young man lived in the very first years of our era.

Presumably, the guy was killed as a result of a ritual sacrifice to the gods. He died at the age of just under 30. A deep cut was found on the neck, proving that the young man had died a violent death.

3. Princess Ukok

If you need extra proof that tattoos are forever, Princess Ukoka can easily prove that they are.

While the body itself is not particularly well preserved, the princess's mummified skin can be traced with intricate tattoos, despite the fact that The princess died over 2500 years ago.

As the examination showed, Ukoka died at the age of 25. Digital scanning made it possible to better examine the tattoos, which include images of animals. One can clearly distinguish the outline of a deer, but not ordinary, but mythical, with the horns of a goat and the beak of a griffin.

Researchers believe that Princess Ukok was a member of the Pazyryk tribe that lived in the mountains of Siberia. Representatives of this nomadic tribe were deeply convinced that it was tattoos help people find each other in the afterlife.

In those days, it was believed that the more complex the drawing on the body was, the more chances its owner had to find relatives after death.

Near the body of the princess, found in 1993, the remains of six horses were found. Ancient people believed that horses played an important role in escorting people to the afterlife.

4. Wet Mummy

In 2011, during the construction of a new road in China, the mummy of a woman who lived 600 years ago during the reign of the Ming Dynasty was found.

Despite the fact that the dead body lay in the wet ground for several hundred years, it was surprisingly well preserved. The skin of the mummy survived from decomposition, hair and eyebrows also remained untouched by time.

Time also spared the jewelry, among which was found a jade ring and a silver hairpin supporting the hair of the deceased. The face was framed by several elaborate pieces of jewelry that the woman apparently wore during her lifetime.

This mummy is the greatest mystery of the century. One of the rarest cases of a mummified body found in China.

According to archaeologist Victor Mair, there is very little evidence that the practice of mummifying the bodies of the dead was used in China. As a rule, the bodies of high-ranking members of the communities were embalmed in this way.

The mummy of a woman lay in the damp earth, but was practically not destroyed by time. Experts insist on the version that the soil in this area contains a small amount of oxygen. It was this fact that prevented the bacteria from subjecting the body to the normal process of decomposition.

5. Tutankhamen of Torquay

Mummifying one's own body after death is a very unpopular choice these days. However, as practice has shown, there are always rare exceptions in life.

Allan Billis not only voluntarily chose to have his body mummified, but also agreed to broadcast the process itself on television.

The 61-year-old taxi driver, who died in 2011 of lung cancer, was nicknamed by journalists as “Tutankhamun of Torquay”. Before his death, the man bequeathed his body to science.

Thanks to the work of Dr. Stephen Buckley, Billis' corpse was the first body in over 1,000 years to be mummified using the same ancient Egyptian technique, which was used to embalm Tutankhamen, who died more than 3000 years ago in 1323 BC.

The family of the deceased taxi driver agreed with the man's desire to devote his body to science. The wife of a deceased taxi driver jokes sadly that she is the only woman in the country who has the mummy of her own husband.

6. Dashi - Dorzho Itigelov

During the life of Dasha - Dorzho Itigelov was a monk. One night in 1927, he declared to his students and brothers in the faith that his time has come. He was ready to go to the other world, but first he asked everyone to join him in meditation.

Legend has it that Dashi-Dorzho died quietly while meditating. Shortly after his death he was buried seated in a lotus position in a pine coffin, which was specially cut for such a not quite familiar posture of the deceased.

A few years later, the monk's body was removed from the coffin. To the surprise of everyone, the corpse was perfectly preserved and remained sitting in the same lotus position. He was again buried in the earth, the coffin was placed in a salty environment.

And just recently, the monk's body was exhumed for the second time. Scientists and forensic experts were amazed that the body was preserved in almost perfect condition. Time has no power over a mummy.

Analysis of skin and hair samples showed that the cells of his body resembled a dead man who died within 36 hours, and not who died almost 100 years ago.

Franklin Expedition

7 The Franklin Expedition Mummies

In 1845, an expedition led by John Franklin, consisting of more than 100 people, set off for the New World in the hope of finding the Northwest Passage, the legendary trade route to Asia. Two ships carrying all the members of this expedition, without reaching the goal, went missing.

The search for the missing expedition began only in 1848. In 1850, the graves of three members of the missing crew were found on Beechey Island.

More than a century later, in 1984, a group of anthropologists went to the region to conduct a forensic medical examination. After the exhumation of the bodies, it became clear that all three bodies were perfectly preserved. According to experts, this much merit of permafrost in the tundra.

Due to the fact that the bodies found were in excellent condition, it was possible to establish the probable cause of death of a man who died 138 years ago.

Specialists found signs of pneumonia and tuberculosis, as well as huge amount of lead which could have caused the death of sailors. Perhaps lead entered the body of travelers through the water.

Lithopedion

8. The woman who gave birth to a mummy

In 1955, Zahra Abutalib went into labor pains. The woman went to the hospital to have a baby. However, after much torment, Zahra could not be born, and The doctor strongly recommended a caesarean section.

But frightened of the operation, the woman in labor left the hospital. Some time later, the baby died in the womb. Zahra refused to remove his body from the womb. The dead child remained inside the mother.

After 46 years, the woman began to be disturbed by excruciating pains in the abdomen. Doctors took an X-ray, which showed that the remains of her child, who died almost half a century ago, were preserved inside the woman.

A similar phenomenon of fetal mummification in the womb is called lithopedion. This doesn't happen often. History has about 300 such cases. The reason for this process is the inability of the body to expel the dead fetus.

In order to protect itself from all kinds of infections caused by tissue decomposition, the body begins to intensively produce calcified material around the fetus, thereby turning it into something stone-like. Thus, the body in the womb is rarely mummified.

9. Donsella

Donsella, or young maiden, is the well-preserved body of a 15-year-old Inca girl.

Apparently, she was sacrificed to the gods over 500 years ago. The sacrifice ceremony took place on the top of the Argentine volcano Llullaillaco, located at an altitude of 6700 m above sea level.

Her remains, along with those of two young children, were discovered in 1999. Thanks to a special examination, experts found out that during her lifetime the girl suffered from a disease similar to tuberculosis or a chronic infection of the lungs.

In those days, such ailments could well lead to death. It is believed that the girl died of hypothermia.

Obviously, before the death of the girl, she was treated with special care. Cocaine leaves were found in her mouth. The Incas used them to counteract the effects of altitude sickness.

It is worth noting that if someone was sacrificed to the gods, it was considered a great honor among the Incas.

Evita Peron

10. Wife of Argentine President Evita Peron

During her lifetime, Eva Peron was the wife of Juan Peron, who served as President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955. She was the first lady of the country, who was loved by the people.

On July 26, 1952, at the age of 33, Evita died of cancer. The body of a young woman was embalmed using a cocktail of various ingredients. This was done in order to ensure that thousands of people have the opportunity to see their pet as beautiful as she was in life.

Then in 1955, Evita's body was stolen by anti-Peronists, opponents of her husband. It took almost 15 years before specialists found the mummified corpse of the former first lady of Argentina.

In the end, Eva's body was returned to her husband, who had already managed to marry a second time. His new chosen one was a woman named Isabelle.

Unfortunately, it turned out that over the years Evita's corpse suffered several blows. Blunt marks were found on the woman's face, and a finger was missing from her hand.

Peron and his new wife decided to keep the body of their late wife at home. It may even be shocking, but it is known that the second wife of the president combed Eva's hair daily and seated the corpse at the dinner table.

There were rumors that the woman even lay down in the coffin next to the deceased, "hoping to absorb some of Evita's magical energy."

Today, the body of the first wife of the Argentine dictator is finally laid to rest. Evita is buried in the family vault. And many years after his death, the mummified corpse is exactly where it should be.

When a person goes to another world, it is customary to bury his body. But sometimes, for various reasons, people want to save the deceased for a longer memory and not at all in the pictures ...

You will not believe it, but we found 18 dead people, whose bodies are still carefully kept among the living!

1. Vladimir Lenin (1870 - 1924, Russia)

The father of Russian communism and the first leader of the USSR died almost 100 years ago, but his body looks like Vladimir Ilyich fell asleep and is about to wake up!

Back in 1924, the government decided to save the deceased leader for future generations. To do this, they even had to invent a complex process of embalming! At the moment, Lenin's body does not have any insides (they are replaced by special humidifiers and a pumping system that maintains internal temperature and fluid intake), and requires constant injections and baths.

It is known that during the existence of the Soviet Union, the costumes of the dead leader were changed once a year, but after the fall of the communist nation, the leader stopped being fashionable and now “changes” clothes every 5 years!

2. Eva "Evita" Peron (1919 - 1952, Argentina)

“Do not cry for me, Argentina,” Madonna Evita sang, playing the role of the main and beloved woman of the entire Argentine people - Evita Peron in the film of the same name.

No, then in 1952, the country did not want to put up with the death of the wife of President Juan Peron. And even more, Eva Peron, who died of cancer, was so skillfully embalmed that the result was later even called the “art of death”!

But indeed, there was even more life in the dead body ... You won’t believe it, but the very process of preserving the deceased took almost a year for specialists. It is known that after the arrival of the new government, Evita's body was stolen and hidden in Italy, where the caretaker fell in love with him and could not curb his sexual fantasies!

3. Rosalia Lombardo (1918 - 1920, Italy)

Deep in the catacombs of the Capuchin monks in Sicily, inside a small glass box lies the body of little Rosalia Lombardo. When the girl died of pneumonia in 1920, her father, General Lombardo, could not cope with the loss. He sought out the embalmer Alfredo Salafia, and was ready to give all the money so that only the body of his daughter could be saved. And thanks to a mixture of chemicals, including formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid and glycerin, a phenomenal result was achieved! After a while, the body was given the name "Sleeping Beauty" and there was even a buyer who bought it!

Look at the innocence on Rosalia's face. And today this mummy is not only the best preserved in the world, but also the most visited in the catacombs.

Well, this x-ray of Rosalia shows that her brain and internal organs are not damaged, although they have decreased over time.

4. Lady Xin Zhui (died 163 BC, China)

The name of the deceased was Xin Zhui, and she was the wife of the imperial governor of Changsha, Marquis Dai, during the Han Dynasty.

Perhaps the name of the woman would have sunk into oblivion if she had not been mummified after death. The body of a Chinese woman was fantastically preserved 2100 years after her death, and today scientists are racking their brains over the mystery of the mummy, better known as “Lady Dai”.

Believe it or not, Xin Zhui's skin is still soft, her arms and legs can bend, her internal organs remain intact, and there is still blood in her veins. Somehow, the mummy even had eyelashes and hair... Today, it has been established for sure that during her lifetime, Xin Zhui was overweight, she suffered from lower back pain, clogged arteries and heart disease.

5. "Virgo" or 500-year-old mummy girl

And you definitely haven’t forgotten this 15-year-old one, which has lain in the ice for almost 500 years!

6. Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov (1852-1927, Russia)

If you still don’t believe in miracles, then it’s time to visit Buryatia and look at the imperishable body of the head of the Buddhists of Eastern Siberia, the monk Dashi-Dorzhi Titgelov, who sits in the lotus position.

But, the most amazing thing, the body is in the open air, and not only does not decompose, but also exudes a fragrance!

7. Man from Tollund (390 BC - 350 BC, Denmark)

Another amazing find of a "living" dead man is the body of a man that has lain in the peat bogs of Tollund (Denmark) since the 4th century BC!

Found the "man from Tollund" in 1950. Then the archaeologists found that the deceased was most likely hanged - he had a swollen tongue, and in the stomach was a portion of eaten vegetables and seeds!

Alas, time and the swamp preserved the body, but people could not - today only the head, legs and thumb of the hand remained intact from the find.

8. Tattooed Princess Ukok (lived around the 5th century AD in Siberia)

Another creepy greeting from the past is the Altai Princess Ukok.

They found the mummy lying on its side with legs pulled up.

The princess had numerous tattoos on her arms! But the find was dressed even more interesting - in a white silk shirt, a burgundy woolen skirt, felt socks and a fur coat. The complex hairstyle of the deceased is also unique - it was made of wool, felt and her own hair and was 90 cm high. The princess died at a young age (about 25 years old) from breast cancer (during the study, a breast tumor and metastases were found) .

9. Imperishable Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879, France)

The miller's daughter Maria Bernadette was born in Lourdes in 1844.

It is known that in her short life (the girl lived for 35 years and died of tuberculosis), the Virgin Mary (a white lady) appeared to her 17 times, during which she indicated where to find a source of healing water and where to build a temple.

After the death and burial of Bernadette Soubirous was canonized, in connection with which, the body had to be exhumed and embalmed. Since then, it has been buried and exhumed two more times, after which it was finally moved to a golden reliquary in the chapel and covered with wax.

10. John Torrington (1825 - 1846, Great Britain)

Sometimes nature can preserve the body much better than the embalmers. Here's how, for example - the body of John Torrington, senior officer of the legendary Franklin expedition to the Arctic Circle. The researcher died of lead poisoning at the age of 22 and was buried in the tundra along with three others at a campsite. In the 1980s, Torring's grave was exhumed by scientists in order to find out the reason for the failure of the expedition.

When the coffins were opened and the ice thawed, archaeologists were amazed and frightened by what they saw - John Torrington was literally looking at them!

11. Beauty Xiaohe (Lived 3800 years ago, China)

In 2003, during the excavations of the ancient cemetery of Xiaohe Mudi, archaeologists discovered a well-preserved mummy, named after the location - Beauty Xiaohe.

You won’t believe it, but this beauty in a felt hat, for 4 thousand years of being underground in a coffin-boat with bags of herbs, turned out to have intact skin, hair and even eyelashes!

12. Churchman (died c. 1000 BC, China)

In 1978, a mummified “Cherchen man” dated to 1000 BC was found in the Takla Makan desert. e. The Cherchen was 2 m tall, fair-skinned, blond, dressed in clothes made of European wool. He died at the age of 50.

The discovery of this mummy forced historians to rethink everything they knew about the interaction of Eastern and Western civilizations!

13. George Mallory (1886-1924, UK)

In 1924, climber George Mallory and his partner Andrew Irwin could have been the first to reach the summit of Everest, but, alas ... For 75 years, the fate of the dead climbers remained a mystery, and in 1999, the NOVA-BBC expedition managed to discover the well-preserved body of J. Mallory in wind-torn clothes!

The researchers found that the two climbers were tied together, but Irwin slipped and fell.

14. Ramesses II the Great (1303 BC - 1213 BC, Egypt)

The mummy of one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt, Ramses II the Great, is one of the most unique finds of our time. For more than 100 years, scientists have been waging a fierce skirmish, finding out the cause of death of a person of this magnitude. And the answer was found after computed tomography. It turned out that a penetrating cut (7 cm) was found on the pharaoh's throat up to the very spine, which affected not only the blood vessels, but also the trachea with the esophagus!

15. Wet mummy (lived 700 years ago, China)

In 2011, construction workers were digging foundations for a new road when they unearthed the mummy of a woman from 700 years ago during the Ming Dynasty.

Thanks to the damp earth, the woman's body was remarkably preserved. Moreover, her skin, eyebrows and hair are not damaged!

But the most impressive are the jewels found on the "wet mummy" - a silver hairpin on her hair, a jade ring on her finger and a silver medallion for exorcism.

16. Otzi or ice man from Tyrol (3300 BC -3255 BC, Italy)

Ötzi Iceman (Otzi Iceman) is the finest surviving natural human mummy from around 3300 BC (53 centuries ago). The find was found in September 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabhoch, on the border between Austria and Italy.

It got its name from the place where it was discovered. Scientists have found that the cause of death of the Iceman was most likely a blow to the head. Today, his body and belongings are on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano, northern Italy.

17. Man from Groboll (late 3rd century BC, Denmark)

In the middle of the 20th century, several perfectly preserved bodies were discovered in a peat bog in Denmark. The most attractive of them, so to speak, was "the man from Groboll." Believe it or not, he still had fingernails on his hands and hair on his head!

Radiocarbon dating of his intact (!) liver showed that he lived more than 2000 years ago, and died when he was about 30 years old, probably from a deep neck cut.

18. Tutankhamen (1341 BC - 1323 BC, Egypt)

Remember, quite recently we remembered, and finally found out what Tutankhamun was like during his lifetime.

Today, the discovery of the pharaoh's mummy can be considered the most unique find of mankind - well, at least remember that the ancient robbers did not plunder the tomb of Tutankhamun and, in addition, all subsequent hoaxes associated with "curses" after the opening of the tomb by G. Carter.

Only alas, it is worth recognizing that of all the surviving "living" dead, Pharaoh Tutankhamun was not in the most "pretty" form.

We talk about the mystery of incorruptibility and the hidden resources of the human body with Galina Ershova, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities. By the way, it was thanks to her that science learned about the phenomenon of Itigelov. When, in 2002, Buryat lamas unearthed a wooden box containing the monk's perfectly preserved body, Yershova found funds and went to Ulan-Ude to sort things out and, if possible, conduct laboratory research.

Promise kept

Dmitry Pisarenko, AiF: Galina Gavrilovna, as far as I remember, in Buryatia you were given not so much biomaterial - sections of the nails of the deceased, pieces of skin and five hairs. Was that enough to make a splash?

Galina Ershova: Of course, I wanted more. But it was immediately clear that large-scale studies (for example, X-rays or MRI) could not be counted on: no one knew how Itigelov entered this state (and many Buddhists still consider him alive) and what could destroy him. But it's good that we managed to do at least something, thanks for that Khambo Lame Ayusheev, the current head of the Buryat Buddhists, who provided the biomaterial for research. Otherwise, now everyone would be saying: here, they put a mummy in order to fool the people. And so we can say with complete confidence: sorry, here are the results of the tests, from them it is clear that this is not a mummy.

- Then who?!

- It was assumed that if this is a mummy, then protein compounds, organic matter in the tissues will be destroyed. But it turned out that the protein component did not disintegrate, it had the characteristics of a living person. Professor Zvyagin, forensic expert with a worldwide reputation, who at one time studied the remains of members of the royal family, was amazed. And for me, the most striking thing was that on the peeled skin - on the arm and leg - drops of blood appeared, and of different color shades! The blood, however, was in a jelly-like state. But it certainly wasn't a mummy, mummies don't have any blood.

And in the samples taken, the concentration of bromine was exceeded tenfold. It is known that this element, contained in some plants, is able to suppress sensitivity and limit the flow of stimulating impulses from the outside. At the same time, it has almost no effect on the areas of the brain that control breathing and blood circulation.

Studies have shown that since 1927 Khambo Lama Itigelov, former leader of the Buryat Buddhists, sat in a pose of meditation, having previously ordered to place himself underground, he remained alive. That is, he didn’t die, but went into some other state, similar to suspended animation, and stayed in it underground for 75 years! At the same time, he seems to have expected that after decades he would be removed from the sarcophagus and taken out of suspended animation.

Unfortunately, there are no exact instructions for 2002. During the Soviet era, there were persecutions of believers, including Buddhists. Monasteries were ravaged, documents were burned, monks were exiled or shot. Of those who saw Itigelov during their lifetime, by the beginning of the 21st century. there was only one person left.

- And how could Itigelov be brought out of suspended animation?

— Indian yogis have a similar practice. Hot dough or oil is placed on the head and shoulders of a person, warmed, massaged. After that, the mechanism of oxygen supply is turned on and the person comes out of suspended animation. But the output requires a lot of energy. And there is a limit beyond which it is impossible to withdraw a person.

- But now Itigelov can still be "revived"? Can he get up and go?

- Not. He died. This happened shortly after his removal from the grave. He was then put in a glass box, and at some point the glass was covered with moisture from the inside. The Buryats said: "He is giving us some kind of sign." But any pathologist knows: when a person dies, there is a release of moisture from his body. This is a sure sign of death. When they say that the soul flies out of the body and it loses a few grams in weight, it means just the loss of weight due to the release of moisture. The same Zvyagin confirmed: at that moment it was all over, Itigelov died. And after that, his body began to turn into a mummy.

But notice, Itigelov kept his promise: he returned to us alive after 75 years, as he intended.

How a person puts himself into a state of suspended animation has yet to be studied. Photo: Reuters

It's all about fat

- What kind of state is this in which a person can be for decades without showing signs of life? What does science know about him?

- The state of anabiosis as a temporary cessation of life is well known to biologists. In nature, it is often found - every child knows that a bear hibernates in winter. And in a state of hypothermia (cooling), the body even increases resistance to many external influences. The cells of the cerebral cortex withstand a long absence of blood circulation and do not die, apparently, starting some kind of backup power. Say, it happens that they find a drowned man who drowned in the winter, and he suddenly comes to life.

The biologists who studied the state of anabiosis constructed a scheme for artificial entry into it: breathing training leads to an increase in the carbon dioxide content in the body and a decrease in body temperature. This stops the processes associated with decay and the activity of microorganisms. Thus, the incorruptibility of the body is ensured.

This mechanism is triggered, as a rule, under conditions of stress. And his work is provided by brown fat cells - it is located between the shoulder blades and along the spine. Previously, it was believed that brown fat is necessary for babies, it serves as a kind of heating pad for them, maintaining the desired temperature. But recent studies show that brown fats determine almost all processes in the body. And, perhaps, they include the backup mode of oxygen-free nutrition in which Itigelov was. And not only him, similar cases occurred in other countries. There were especially many of them in India.

Can any of us learn to enter into such a state?

- This mechanism was laid down in us by evolution as a protection against stress, danger. It was formed at a time when living organisms came out of the oceans onto land. In some people, this mechanism is able to turn on spontaneously (as in the same drowned people), in others it is not. However, you can train this skill in yourself. Of course, this is hard work, you need a lot of work on yourself. And if a person thinks only about how to eat delicious food and take a cool selfie, he is unlikely to have enough resources for this. And religious consciousness, prayer and meditation, apparently, help to achieve this state. They excite the deep regions of the brain that turn on this mechanism.

I have a dream: to conduct an experiment with the entry of a person into such a state and explore everything that happens to him. While everything is at the stage of ideas and conversations. But who knows, maybe sooner or later we will conduct this experiment? And then every person will learn to make his body incorruptible...

Who else turned himself into a mummy?

Thailand

Luang Pho Dang. Photo: flickr.com / Andrew Yang

Abbot of a Thai Buddhist monastery on the island of Koh Samui. Lived in the twentieth century. It is believed that he predicted the possible mummification of his body. At the age of 79, a week before his death, he stopped eating and talking, plunging into deep meditation. The only thing that decomposed after death were the eyes. For ethical reasons, they were covered with sunglasses.

Vu Khac Minh, Vietnam

Abbot of a Buddhist monastery, lived more than 300 years ago. By the end of his days, he plunged into fasting and meditation, allowing his students to come to him only when his prayer wheel stopped beating.

For a long time, his body was considered a sculpture, regularly covered with paint and varnish. But something rattled inside the sculpture, and the monks asked to take an X-ray of it. It turned out that the torn-off heart rattled! In addition, bones and many organs were preserved.

Italy

Holy Rose of Viterbo. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Jose Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro

The girl died in 1251 and was buried in the ground. After 20 months, they decided to rebury her, opened the grave and found the body without signs of decomposition. As a result, Rose was recognized as a saint and placed in the monastery of Clarisse. After some time, the body was mummified and remains in this state to this day. Scientists believe that the girl could introduce herself into a state of suspended animation spontaneously.

Kukai. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Religious and public figure, lived in the VIII-IX centuries. He founded a school that combined elements of Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism and other religions. At the age of 61 he gave up food and water and plunged into meditation. On the 21st day, his breathing stopped. He was placed on top of Mount Koya-san, then buried. After some time, the grave was opened and Kukai was found in a state similar to a dream: the body had not changed, the hair looked healthy.