Great Egyptian Museum unveils tapestry of ancient history in Giza/Photo by Mohamed Elshahed/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza is currently operating in a test phase, and its primary exhibit, the treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb, remains in the old Cairo museum for now.
Construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum began in 2002 under former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. As often happens with large-scale projects, its completion was repeatedly delayed, with costs only increasing. But now, the world’s largest archeological museum (covering an area of 81,000 m²) is finally opening its doors. One of the key architectural features is a semi-transparent alabaster wall that forms the museum’s facade. Above the entrance, which is meant to evoke Egypt's main landmarks, cartouches with the names of Egyptian pharaohs have been carved, and the main hall is designed as an atrium to display large artifacts. Among the exhibits currently on display is a 3,200-year-old statue of one of Egypt’s most powerful and renowned pharaohs, Ramses II. The museum complex will include a children’s museum, laboratories, and educational and conference centers, incorporating modern technologies, including virtual reality.
The museum will showcase over 100,000 artifacts, many of which will be displayed to the public for the first time, including the full collection of treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun,i
An ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdomwho reigned from approximately 1332 to 1323 BCE. Although Tutankhamun’s reign was not especially remarkable, Howard Carter's discovery of his nearly untouched tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 became a sensation, sparking renewed public interest in ancient Egypt. The pharaoh and his golden funerary mask (now displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo) have since become iconic symbols. At the same time, the ‘mysterious’ deaths of several members of the 1922 expedition fueled the widespread belief in the ‘pharaoh’s curse’.
The burial mask of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun/Photo by Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images
The overall exhibits will cover all of Egyptian history, from prehistoric times (around 700,000 years ago) to the fourth century AD, when Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire. To expand the collection, artifacts will be drawn from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, whose building (over 100 years old) is in need of repair and can no longer accommodate the influx of tourists from around the world. Additionally, the Egyptian authorities hope to temporarily acquire some of their most valuable artifacts, such as the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum,iA stone stele found in 1799 near the small town of Rosetta (now Rashid), close to Alexandria, with three identical inscriptions, which allowed for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphsthe bust of Queen Nefertiti from the Berlin Egyptian Museum, and the Dendera ZodiaciAn ancient Egyptian astronomical relief in the Hathor Temple complex in Dendera. It was located on the ceiling of the temple's portico dedicated to Osiris and features the twelve zodiac signsfrom the Louvre, among others.
However, European museums are hesitant to part with their treasures, fearing a repeat of the revolutionary events of 2011, when protesters stormed the Cairo Museum. Local museums will also need to donate artifacts. For example, in 2021, the Solar Ship of Pharaoh Khufu (reigned 2589–2566 BCE), over 4,500 years old, was transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum.