Opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum: the one you can’t miss

Travel enthusiasts from all corners of our vast world are eagerly awaiting the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). This is truly a grandiose event, and not just because the area of this museum complex exceeds the sizes of the famous Louvre and the British Museum.

The thing is, GEM is a new embodiment of another unique repository of antiquities, the Egyptian National Museum located in the center of Cairo, on Tahrir Square. It’s an embodiment whose scale far surpasses the original. A place where treasures previously hidden from visitors’ eyes can be seen.

Top news is commented on by our colleagues from Egypt, recognized experts in the country’s tourism market and members of the Carthage Group team – Sameh Salem, supervisor of the company in the Sharm El Sheikh region, and Mohamed Murad, supervisor of the company in the Hurghada region.

It was previously reported that the Grand Egyptian Museum would open on 3rd of July, then the date was postponed to the 1st of November. Is there any change in this information today?

The museum’s opening date has been postponed several times. In particular, it was indeed planned to open on the 3rd of July, and then the celebrations were postponed to the 1st of November. Although this decision may not be final either.

However, at the moment, there are no changes in the information about the opening date of the Grand Egyptian Museum. The solemn ceremony with officials is still scheduled for the 1st of November. When exactly the museum will start accepting tourists directly is being clarified.

Where is the new museum located? How convenient is this place for visitors, what excursions can be combined with its visit?

The GEM building is constructed right opposite the Great Pyramids, one of Egypt’s main tourist magnets. Thus, we get an incredibly interesting excursion complex in Giza, extremely convenient for visits.

The location of the new museum will also appeal to travelers because it can be reached via the ring road, bypassing the capital’s traffic jams. That’s great too.

It is known that the Grand Egyptian Museum is already partially open to tourists. How popular are visits in this limited light format?

Yes, the new museum is indeed partially operational. And more and more exhibits are being transported there from the old museum.

But, for example, the incredibly popular collection of Tutankhamun’s treasures among Egyptology enthusiasts, a real pearl of the Cairo Museum, is still in the old building. The date for moving these exhibits is set for the 20th of October, and one must consider that there could be changes here too.

And what will be the fate of the old Cairo Museum, whose building itself is an architectural heritage? Will it be open for visits?

The truly magnificent architectural specimen, the Egyptian National Museum building on Tahrir Square, will most likely be restored. And then, perhaps, a new museum collection will be exhibited there.

But so far, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism has not announced any specific plans on this matter, so everyone wishing to visit the old Cairo Museum should do so without delay for two reasons. Firstly, today in the old building, you can still see fascinating exhibits. And secondly, the cost of visiting the new museum will be higher.

Will there be a significant difference in ticket prices for the new Grand Egyptian Museum and the old Cairo Museum?

Quite noticeable. The price increase will be approximately 15 dollars.

But, of course, such an increase is absolutely justified, considering both the convenient location of the new complex and its scales, which are breathtaking. Here, all conditions are created for comfortable acquaintance of Egypt’s guests with the amazing collection of antiquities, which was difficult to accommodate in the objectively cramped old premises.

One more clarification for travelers. If the official opening of the new museum does take place on the 1st of November, then two weeks before this solemn date, it will be completely closed for visits in order to put the halls in place and welcome tourists in all its splendor. Which we very much hope for and look forward to.

A few facts about the Grand Egyptian Museum

• An international competition for the design of the new museum was announced more than 20 years ago, back in 2002. Then, a ceremonial stone was laid at the site of the upcoming construction in Giza. According to some data, the cost of this grandiose construction eventually amounted to more than 1 billion dollars.
  
  
• Materials used in the construction of GEM were limestone, sandstone, and alabaster. The very ones from which the builders of the pyramids once erected their architectural masterpieces. The stone for construction was quarried in Egypt, in quarries that were known even in the times of the pharaohs.
  
  
• The appearance of the building of the Grand Egyptian Museum built in Giza echoes the shape of the Great Pyramids. One of its walls consists of many triangular elements, and the lines of the building’s edges, like rays, emanate from one point, referring to ancient Egyptian mythology, where the cult of the sun held a special place.
  
  
• Some of the facade panels of the new museum are made of onyx, a traditional Egyptian material. During the day, the translucent onyx allows sunlight into the luxurious spacious halls, and at night, the museum lamps share their light with the desert. The Grand Egyptian Museum fits extremely harmoniously into the surrounding landscape. It is its rightful, significant, and undoubtedly beautiful part.
  
  
• Bright impressions await visitors right at the entrance to the Grand Egyptian Museum, where guests are greeted by a statue of Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great, made of pink granite. Its parameters are impressive – height of 11 meters and weight over 80 tons. The age of the statue also inspires awe, amounting to more than 3,000 years.
  
  
• GEM will house the entire collection of Tutankhamun’s antiquities from the Cairo Museum, where due to lack of space it was not fully presented. Also, some artifacts will be delivered here from Luxor, El Minya, Sohag, Beni Suef, Asyut, Fayoum and Alexandria.
  
  
• In total, the new museum plans to house more than 100,000 exhibits dedicated to the history and culture of Ancient Egypt. Statues and sarcophagi, mummies and funeral masks, vases, dishes, jewelry, coins, papyri and much more. Some artifacts discovered at different times on the territory of Egypt are stored in other countries, and Egyptian authorities are trying to achieve their return, which will make the already gigantic GEM collection even more extensive and diverse.
  
  
• The Grand Egyptian Museum will feature a modern online ticket booking system adopted today in many similar cultural institutions. The electronic format helps reduce queues and organize tourist flows.
  
  
• Changes will also affect souvenir trading and animal riding in the tourist zone of the new museum and the Great Pyramids. Previously, travelers often encountered pushy offers to buy something or ride camels and horses. Now measures will be taken to regulate the situation.