Egyptian mummy portraits at John Rylands

Find out more about one of the planet’s most fascinating civilisations through ten ‘mummy portraits’ and more than 40 Greco-Roman papyri on show at the John Ryland’s library as part of a new show called Faces and Voices. The exhibition includes artworks dating from around 2000 years ago that were found in the Fayum region, south of Cairo. Known as the ‘Fayum portraits’, the mummy portraits covered the faces of mummies found by the archaeologist William Flinders Petrie in the late 1800s. Petrie was financed by the Manchester cotton magnate Jesse Haworth, and the portraits came to the University’s Manchester Museum as part of his legacy. The papyri offer an insight into what life was like for the Egyptians living under Roman rule, and are joined by works by contemporary Egyptian artist Fathi Hassan. Perfect for afternoon explorers, be sure check out the oldest original toilets in the city and vintage gaslamp fittings in this Hogwartian space too.

Until 25 Nov, The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, M3 3EH. Tel: 0161 306 0555. Tue-Sat, 10am-5pm, Sun and Mon, noon-5pm, FREE, www.library.manchester.ac.uk