Forget coffins - now you can be MUMMIFIED - PHOTO

For centuries, ancient Egyptians mummified pharoahs, and later, other nobility, to preserve their bodies and give them safe passage to the afterlife. The ritual eventually died out, yet a company in Utah has spent the last 30 years working on bringing it back.More than 1,500 people across the world have contacted Summum, the world’s only mummification company, to be preserved after they die.And it's not just for humans. The company, based in Salt Lake City, has previously mummified pets for customers worldwide.  Summum was set up in 1975 by Claude Nowell, who later changed his name to Summum Bonum Amon Ra - or Corky Ra for short. Dogs, cats, peacocks, finches and even rats have undergone Ra's updated version of the traditional Egyptian burial routine.The Ancient Egyptians mummified bodies because they believed in the afterlife. They believed that by preserving the bodies of the pharaohs, these wealthy members of society would stand the best possible chance of living in the eternal world.The process involved washing the dead body as a symbol of purification with wine and water from the River Nile. The modern-day process takes 90 days. The organs are taken out and cleansed, then the body is hydrated for more than 70 days in a tank full of chemicals. It is covered with lanolin and wax, followed by layers of cotton gauze and a fibre glass finish. The body is then encased in a steel or bronze casket.Summum counsellor Ron Temu told MailOnline: ‘The chemicals we use are so permeable that if a drop was put on the hand, just seconds later it can be tasted in the mouth. 'The olden day mummies look very dry and that’s because it was believed the best way to preserve them for the afterlife was to completely dehydrate them. 'We do the opposite and believe that hydrating the body fully is the best way to preserve it. That's why the bodies will still look like the day they died - even thousands of years later.’Yet the process isn’t cheap. Cats start at £3,600 ($6,000), while dogs cost around £15,000 ($25,000). Human mummification starts at approximately £40,000 ($67,000) but can cost more for 'larger adults.''As we have clients from all around the world, including the UK, if a pet dies, then a vet packs it in ice and it is transported to us straight away,’ continued Temu.Some people do like having their mummified pets in their own homes - even animals as small as a rat or finch.'‘What is amazing is that these animals, like everything else we mummify, just looks exactly like the day it died. We test some of the pets after they have been mummified for years and they are perfect.’The first mummified humans were created by Summum almost a decade ago, but each had to be opened after 18 months to check on their progress and state law claims that once opened, the bodies must be incinerated.Other humans have signed up to be mummified in the future - and the company said this has tremendous implications for cloning. For example, it is feasible DNA could be removed at a later date by drilling into the casket.Temu added: ‘Being able to take out DNA at a later date has real appeal for people. People like the idea of being able to clone themselves.‘We have a lot of people signed up to be mummified. They signed up in their 30's and 40’s, and are now in their 50’s and 60’s, so we have a lot of work ahead of us.’(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az