Egypt unveils Grand Egyptian Museum dedicated to its ancient civilisation

Two halls are dedicated to the 5,000 artefacts from the postulation of King Tutankhamun.

Cairo is acceptable to unfastened the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum that Egypt hopes volition celebrate the nation’s heritage and besides revitalise its struggling system and tourism sector.

According to a connection from the Egyptian presidency, satellite leaders – including monarchs, and heads of authorities and authorities – were expected to be the expansive opening ceremonial successful the Egyptian capital, Cairo, connected Saturday.

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It described the depository opening arsenic “an exceptional lawsuit successful the past of quality civilization and civilisation”.

Massive statues and humanities artefacts from the country’s past civilisation volition beryllium connected show crossed the 24,000 quadrate metres (258,000 quadrate feet) of imperishable accumulation space. Two decades successful the making, the depository is located adjacent the Giza Pyramids connected the borderline of Cairo.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wrote connected societal media that the depository volition bring “together the genius of past Egyptians and the creativity of modern Egyptians, enhancing the satellite civilization and creation with a caller landmark that volition pull each those who cherish civilisation and knowledge”.

A wide presumption earlier the authoritative opening ceremonial of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), adjacent the Giza pyramids [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]

The depository is 1 of respective megaprojects championed by el-Sisi since helium took bureau successful 2014, embarking connected monolithic investments successful infrastructure with the purpose of reviving an system weakened by decades of stagnation and battered by the unrest that followed the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

Preparations for the expansive uncover person been shrouded successful secrecy. Security astir Cairo has been tightened up of the opening ceremony, with the authorities announcing that Saturday would beryllium a nationalist holiday. The museum, which has been unfastened for constricted visits implicit the past fewer years, was closed for the last two-week preparations.

The authorities has revamped the country astir the depository and the adjacent Giza Plateau that holds the pyramids and the Sphinx. Roads were paved and a metro presumption is being constructed extracurricular the depository gates to amended access. An airport, Sphinx International Airport, has besides opened westbound of Cairo, 40 minutes from the museum.

The $1bn installation had faced aggregate delays, with operation opening successful 2005 but interrupted owed to governmental instability.

From the atrium, a expansive six-storey staircase lined with past statues leads up to the main galleries and a presumption of the adjacent pyramids. A span links the depository to the pyramids, allowing tourists to determination betwixt them either connected ft oregon via electrical vehicles, according to depository officials.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is seen successful the region from the Grand Egyptian Museum [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]

The museum’s 12 main galleries, which opened past year, grounds antiquities spanning from prehistoric times to the Roman era, organised by epoch and themes.

Two halls are dedicated to the 5,000 artefacts from the postulation of King Tutankhamun, which volition beryllium displayed successful its entirety for the archetypal clip since British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s tomb successful 1922 successful the confederate metropolis of Luxor.

The authorities hopes the depository volition gully much tourists who volition enactment for a portion and supply the overseas currency needed to enactment up Egypt’s battered economy.

A grounds fig of astir 15.7 cardinal tourists visited Egypt successful 2024, contributing astir 8 percent of the country’s gross home product, according to authoritative figures. Egypt, which has needed repeated bailouts to stabilise its economy, uses the overseas currency it collects from tourism to wage for important imports specified arsenic substance and wheat.

The authorities aims to pull 30 cardinal visitors annually by 2032. The depository volition beryllium unfastened to the nationalist starting from Tuesday, authorities said.