Near one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza - Egypt is officially opening what it intends as a cultural highlight of the modern age.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), described as the world's largest archaeological museum, is packed with some 100,000 artefacts covering some seven millennia of the country's history from pre-dynastic times to the Greek and Roman eras.
Prominent Egyptologists argue that its establishment strengthens their demand for key Egyptian antiquities held in other countries to be returned – including the famed Rosetta Stone displayed at the British Museum.
A main draw of the GEM will be the entire contents of the intact tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun, displayed together for the first time since it was found by British Egyptologist Howard Carter. They include Tutankhamun's spectacular gold mask, throne, and chariots.
I had to think, how can we show him in a different way, because since the discovery of the tomb in 1922, about 1,800 pieces from a total of over 5,500 that were inside the tomb were on display, says Dr Tarek Tawfik, President of the International Association of Egyptologists and former head of the GEM. I had the idea of displaying the complete tomb, which means nothing remains in storage, nothing remains in other museums, and you get to have the complete experience, the way Howard Carter had it over a hundred years ago.
Costing some $1.2 billion (£910m; 1.1bn euros), the vast museum complex is expected to attract up to 8 million visitors a year, giving a huge boost to Egyptian tourism which has been hit by regional crises.
We hope the Grand Egyptian Museum will usher in a new golden age of Egyptology and cultural tourism, says Ahmed Seddik, a guide and aspiring Egyptologist by the pyramids on the Giza Plateau.
Apart from the Tutankhamun exhibit and a new display of the spectacular, 4,500-year-old funerary boat of Khufu - one of the oldest and best-preserved vessels from antiquity - most of the galleries at the site have been opened to the public since last year.
Now it will be at the pinnacle of its glory. When the Tutankhamun collection opens, then you can imagine the whole world will come back, because this is an iconic Pharoah, the most famous king of all antiquity.
The project was hit by financial crises, the 2011 Arab Spring – which deposed Mubarak and led to years of turmoil - the Covid-19 pandemic, and regional wars. But the museum finally stands ready to showcase Egypt’s rich heritage and serve as a hub for Egyptology, conservation, and tourism.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), described as the world's largest archaeological museum, is packed with some 100,000 artefacts covering some seven millennia of the country's history from pre-dynastic times to the Greek and Roman eras.
Prominent Egyptologists argue that its establishment strengthens their demand for key Egyptian antiquities held in other countries to be returned – including the famed Rosetta Stone displayed at the British Museum.
A main draw of the GEM will be the entire contents of the intact tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun, displayed together for the first time since it was found by British Egyptologist Howard Carter. They include Tutankhamun's spectacular gold mask, throne, and chariots.
I had to think, how can we show him in a different way, because since the discovery of the tomb in 1922, about 1,800 pieces from a total of over 5,500 that were inside the tomb were on display, says Dr Tarek Tawfik, President of the International Association of Egyptologists and former head of the GEM. I had the idea of displaying the complete tomb, which means nothing remains in storage, nothing remains in other museums, and you get to have the complete experience, the way Howard Carter had it over a hundred years ago.
Costing some $1.2 billion (£910m; 1.1bn euros), the vast museum complex is expected to attract up to 8 million visitors a year, giving a huge boost to Egyptian tourism which has been hit by regional crises.
We hope the Grand Egyptian Museum will usher in a new golden age of Egyptology and cultural tourism, says Ahmed Seddik, a guide and aspiring Egyptologist by the pyramids on the Giza Plateau.
Apart from the Tutankhamun exhibit and a new display of the spectacular, 4,500-year-old funerary boat of Khufu - one of the oldest and best-preserved vessels from antiquity - most of the galleries at the site have been opened to the public since last year.
Now it will be at the pinnacle of its glory. When the Tutankhamun collection opens, then you can imagine the whole world will come back, because this is an iconic Pharoah, the most famous king of all antiquity.
The project was hit by financial crises, the 2011 Arab Spring – which deposed Mubarak and led to years of turmoil - the Covid-19 pandemic, and regional wars. But the museum finally stands ready to showcase Egypt’s rich heritage and serve as a hub for Egyptology, conservation, and tourism.
