Egypt Opens ‘Grand Egyptian Museum’ With Full King Tutankhamun Collection
Image via Grand Egyptian Museum
On Saturday, Egypt pulled back the curtains on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a house of antiquities near the Pyramids of Giza that has been more than two decades in the making.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led the inauguration, joined by a host of international leaders and cultural figures, beneath a backdrop of pharaonic imagery, drone light shows and fireworks. The museum, built at an estimated cost of around US$1 billion, marks an ambitious chapter in Egypt’s effort to refresh its tourism appeal and cultural standing.
View this post on Instagram
Located roughly two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the iconic Pyramids of Giza, the museum covers a sprawling area and is being described as the world’s largest facility dedicated to a single civilization. Among the 100,000 treasures on display are the complete collection of Tutankhamun’s tomb artifacts and an enormous statue of Ramses II relocated to the museum’s grand hall.
Image via Grand Egyptian Museum
Image via Grand Egyptian Museum
Tourism numbers have dipped during past years of disruption, and officials hope GEM’s presence will help boost annual visitor numbers toward the 30 million mark by 2030.
Image via Grand Egyptian Museum
Image via Grand Egyptian Museum
Image via Grand Egyptian Museum
[via ArchDaily, Artnet News, Reuters, France24, Euronews, images via Grand Egyptian Museum]
