Five Things to Know About the Grand Egyptian Museum
AFP/APP
CAIRO: Near the ancient Pyramids of Giza just outside Cairo, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is finally gearing up for its lavish opening on Saturday after two decades of delays.
Massive statues and historic artefacts from Egypt’s ancient civilisation will be displayed across 24,000 square metres (258,000 square feet) of permanent exhibition space.
Here are five things to know about the long-awaited museum, which Egyptian authorities call “the largest cultural building of the 21st century.”
- The Fourth Pyramid
An imitation of the nearby pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the museum’s triangular glass structure was designed by the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects.
The state-of-the-art complex — dubbed the “fourth pyramid” of the Giza Plateau — houses around 100,000 artefacts from the 30 dynasties of ancient Egypt’s pharaohs. About half of the collection is on display, with the remainder in storage.
The $1 billion facility, more than 20 years in the making, is expected to attract over five million visitors annually. The government hopes the museum will play a key role in reviving Egypt’s economy, which has been battered by debt and inflation.
- Statue of Ramses II
An 11-metre (36-foot) granite statue of Ramses the Great greets visitors in the museum’s vast entrance atrium.
Ramses II — the third king of the 19th Dynasty — reigned over 3,000 years ago (1279–1213 BC) and is regarded as one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs.
The statue, discovered in 1820 near ancient Memphis, has toured the world twice and will now find its permanent home at the GEM. From 1954 to 2006, it stood in front of Cairo’s main train station.
- Treasures of Tutankhamun
One gallery is devoted to the 5,000 artefacts from the tomb of King Tutankhamun, the most famous of all ancient Egyptian rulers.
For the first time, the entire collection — discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings — is displayed in one place.
The boy king’s gold-covered sarcophagus and iconic burial mask, inlaid with lapis lazuli, will be centrepieces of Saturday’s grand opening. Genetic studies in the 2010s suggested Tutankhamun died at 19, possibly from malaria and a bone disease.
- Solar Boats
A separate building showcases Pharaoh Khufu’s 4,600-year-old solar boat — one of the world’s oldest and largest wooden artefacts.
The 44-metre (144-foot) cedar and acacia vessel was discovered in 1954 near Khufu’s Great Pyramid. Over the next three years, visitors will also be able to observe experts restoring a second solar boat, found in 1987, through a glass viewing wall.
- A Panoramic Journey Through Time
Partially opened in October 2024, the GEM was first launched in 2002 under then-President Hosni Mubarak. Its full inauguration faced repeated delays due to political unrest after the 2011 uprising, the Covid-19 pandemic, and regional conflicts.
The museum features a colossal six-storey staircase lined with statues and tombs, leading to a panoramic window framing the Pyramids of Giza.
Twelve main galleries trace 5,000 years of Egyptian civilisation, from prehistoric times to the Roman era. The complex also houses storage facilities, laboratories, and restoration workshops accessible to researchers.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will officially open its doors to the public on November 4.
Comments are closed.