The Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a pharaonic project finally inaugurated
After three decades of waiting, Cairo inaugurated its Grand Egyptian Museum on November 1st. The institution will welcome visitors from the 4th to its halls housing almost all of ancient Egypt's archaeological treasures. President Al-Sisi hopes to make it a showcase for the country, boosting tourism. A report from the website “The New Arab”.
Thirty-three years after it was announced and two decades after construction began, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is complete. On November 4th, all of its exhibits will finally be open to the public.
For the first time, almost all of the archaeological treasures of ancient Egypt will be brought together under one roof, in proportions that surpass those of any other archaeological museum in the world, making it absolutely incomparable both in its field of specialization and in the density of its collections.
Among these treasures is the long-awaited Tutankhamun room, where all the objects from his tomb will be exhibited, including some that were previously inaccessible to the public.
The site covers 90,000 m2 , in the heart of a 50-hectare site – almost six times the size of the old Egyptian Museum in Cairo, located in Tahrir Square.
But completing this museum has not been a smooth process. Its opening, repeatedly postponed – most recently in July – has withstood political upheavals, funding shortages, the Covid-19 pandemic and, more recently, regional instability triggered by the Israeli genocide in Gaza .
Moreover, the total cost has skyrocketed to exceed the millet
Courrier International
