The Grand Egyptian Museum
When it finally opens, Cairo’s new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will be the largest archeological museum on the planet. It will house the biggest collection of Tutankhaman relics ever displayed, and is expected to draw over five million visitors through its doors every year.
If everything goes according to plan, the $1bn (yes, that’s billion) museum will open in the final quarter of this year. GEM was first scheduled to open in 2015, a decade after it was conceived, and the opening date has been pushed back on multiple occasions. However, with over 95% of work now completed, the museum is now expected to be on track for its 2020/21 opening.
And when it does open, expect something amazing: a state-of-the-art, glass and concrete display space located on the Giza plateau, looking out at the famous pyramids. The Grand Egyptian Museum is expected to house 100,000 archeological items, many of which will be on display for the first time. Roughly 5,400 of these items will belong to the dedicated Tutankhamun exhibition, where they will detail the life of Egypt’s famous boy-king. Inside, you’ll echo the journey Howard Carter took when he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in November 1922.
The museum’s other galleries are separated into four eras – pre-dynastic and Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, and Greco-Roman – and will provide visitor’s will a comprehensive and fascinating look into Egypt’s rich and ancient history. The museum will also include a children’s museum, multiple restaurants and gift shops, a 3D cinema, and breathing views of Giza’s famous pyramids.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will undoubtedly be an utterly unmissable experience.
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