The Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo opens 12 new galleries, awaiting its final opening
Two decades after the start of construction work, the final opening of the world's largest museum is drawing ever closer
On 16 October last, 12 rooms with a total of 24,000 objects belonging to the ancient Egyptian civilisation were preliminarily opened, representing approximately a quarter of the collections that the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo will have when it opens for the first time.
- 20 years of work
- Thematic and chronological axes
- The museum in figures
- Aim: to position Egypt as a world tourist destination
As of March 2023, the main entrance hall had already been opened to the public and the statues that preside over the entrance to the museum and the staircase leading to the exhibition halls had been unveiled.
20 years of work
Although there is still no date for the full opening of what is to be the world's largest museum complex (speculation suggests late 2024 or early 2025), the pharaonic project, never better said, is already seeing the light of day.
Several decades have passed since the decision was taken in 1992 to build a new museum, and in 2004 work began on the project, which was hampered by the political upheavals known as the Arab Spring and by the economic crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
These circumstances prevented the museum from being inaugurated in 2022, a doubly symbolic date for Egyptology, as it was the bicentenary of the decipherment of Egyptian writing by Jean-François Champollion, thanks to the Rosetta Stone (1822); and the centenary of the discovery of the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun by the archaeological expedition led by Howard Carter (1922).
Thematic and chronological axes
For the moment, visitors can enjoy the magnificent foyer, with views of the nearby pyramids of Cheops and Chephren (just two kilometres away), which will be linked to the new museum by a wide avenue.
Presiding over the hall is a colossal statue weighing over 80 tons of Pharaoh Ramses II, whose face will be illuminated by the sun's rays only twice a year, on the day of his birth and the day of his coronation.
The steps leading to the newly opened rooms are decorated with statues from different periods of Egyptian civilisation.
The 12 rooms opened on 16 October are organised around three thematic areas: society, royalty and beliefs. Four rooms are dedicated to each of these themes, following the chronological periods into which the history of Egypt is divided: the Old Kingdom; the Middle Kingdom; the New Kingdom; and the Greco-Roman period.
This will allow visitors to take a double journey: a thematic and cultural tour or a chronological itinerary, to appreciate the 24,000 pieces on display.
It is estimated that the museum will have more than 100,000 pieces on display after its final opening, including some treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb that have not been exhibited until now.
The museum in figures
The 12 rooms already open to the public occupy an area of more than 22,000 square metres, which will quadruple in size when completed, with more than 100,000 square metres devoted to exhibitions.
The main façade is almost a kilometre long, making it the largest museum complex in the world, with the capacity to house more than 150,000 exhibits.
The complex will also include modern facilities dedicated to the research and conservation of ancient artefacts, which will be a major boost to local archaeology and studies of Egyptian civilisation.
So far, the construction of the museum has required an investment of 1 billion euros, two-thirds of which has been provided by Japanese investors.
Aim: to position Egypt as a world tourist destination
To this must be added the investment in infrastructure that the Egyptian government has undertaken to facilitate tourist access to the Giza Plateau, with star projects such as the new Sphinx international airport, located near the pyramids, which will allow the transit of up to 900 passengers per hour.
For Egypt, all these projects mean not only the possibility of exhibiting more than 100,000 treasures of Egyptian civilisation, competing with international museums with important Egyptian collections such as the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris and the Museo Egizio in Turin, but also positioning itself as a top global tourist destination.