In Egypt, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the largest museum in the world dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilization, was officially opened yesterday.
The museum is located near the pyramids in Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, and was under construction for 20 years.
It displays more than 50.000 artifacts that provide a detailed depiction of life in ancient Egypt, and it will be open to the public starting from November 4th, on the anniversary of the discovery of Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb.
In a statement, the Presidency of Egypt called the official opening, which was attended by numerous world leaders, “an exceptional event in the history of human culture and civilization.”
The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, announced on social media that the museum “will unite the genius of ancient Egyptians with the creativity of modern Egyptians, advancing world culture and art with a new landmark that will attract all who value civilization and knowledge.”
Preparations under a veil of secrecy
The museum is one of several megaprojects supported by el-Sisi since he assumed the presidency in 2014.
Preparations for the official opening were shrouded in secrecy.
Before the opening ceremony, security measures around Cairo were tightened, and the government declared yesterday a public holiday.
In the museum courtyard, a stage was set up where a “global symphony of humanity” was performed, according to Egyptian media.
The museum, which in recent years had occasionally been open for smaller visits, was closed for the past two weeks due to final preparations for the opening.
The Egyptian government renovated the area around the museum and the nearby Giza Plateau, where the pyramids and the Sphinx are located. Roads were paved, and a metro station is being built in front of the museum entrance for better access. West of Cairo, 40 minutes from the museum, the Sphinx International Airport has been opened.
5.000 artifacts from King Tutankhamun’s collection
Construction of the museum, into which more than 800 million euros were invested, began in 2005 but was interrupted due to political instability, while the opening was postponed several times.
The museum has a tall triangular glass façade resembling the nearby pyramids, and the permanent exhibition space covers an area of 24.000 square meters.
At the entrance in the atrium stands a large granite statue of Ramses II (reigned from 1279 to 1213 B.C.), one of the most powerful pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Ramses expanded the Egyptian empire as far as present-day Syria to the east and Sudan to the south.
From the atrium, a large staircase surrounded by ancient statues leads through six floors of the museum to the main galleries and views of the nearby pyramids.
The museum and the pyramids are connected by a bridge that visitors can cross on foot or by electric vehicles.
In the 12 main galleries of the museum, opened last year, artifacts from prehistory to the Roman era are displayed, organized by epochs and themes.
In two halls, 5.000 items from King Tutankhamun’s collection are displayed, which will be fully presented for the first time since British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the pharaoh’s tomb in Luxor in 1922. The most famous Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, said that Tutankhamun’s collection is the masterpiece of the museum.
“Why is this museum so important, and why is everyone waiting for its opening? Because of Tutankhamun,” said Hawass.
18 million tourists expected
The collection includes three sarcophagi and six chariots, Tutankhamun’s golden throne, his gilded sarcophagus, and a funerary mask made of gold, quartz, lapis lazuli, and colored glass.
This cultural megaproject also aims to revive the country’s tourism sector and economy, weakened by decades of stagnation and unrest following the Arab Spring of 2011.
The Egyptian government hopes that the museum will attract more tourists who will stay longer, thereby providing the country with foreign currency inflows needed for economic recovery.
Egyptian tourism has begun to recover in recent years following the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathi, stated that Egypt expects around 18 million tourists this year.
Last year, Egypt was visited by a record 15.7 million tourists, who, according to official data, brought in about 8% of the country’s GDP.
The Egyptian authorities plan to attract 30 million visitors annually by 2032.
