19/05/2025
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19/05/2025
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The main hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum, featuring a massive statue of King Ramses II at its center.
CAIRO, May 19, (KUNA): With a charming view of the world-famous Giza Pyramids and covering nearly 500,000 meters, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is expected to open its doors for visitors very soon as the world's largest museum.
Once visitors get into the 7,000-meter lobby of the modern museum, they come across the huge statue of King Ramses II, which stands out in a way as if it invites them to an expedition that reveals the secrets of the ancient civilization of Egypt, which the GEM, in fact, tells its story in an amazing mode.
The idea of establishing the new historic edifice emerged in the seventies and the ceremonial cornerstone of the museum was laid in early 2002. Construction works started at a strategic location just next door to the Pyramids in 2005.
The main contract for the design of the GEM was awarded to the Irish architectural firm Heneghan Peng in 2003 following an extensive international competition. But, in fact, a team of 300 people from 13 companies in six different countries contributed to the design phase.
The original cost of the great project was initially estimated to be around USD 500 million, but delays, changes and other factors have driven the final price tag for the complex to over one billion US dollars.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided the necessary financial support for the project through a couple of official development aid loans at a value of 84.2 billion Japanese yen (around USD 800 million).
The GEM whose construction works were completed in 2021 is considered to be one of the greatest modern achievements of Egypt, becoming an integrated international cultural and entertainment facility and the first destination for all those interested in the great Egyptian civilization.
Once all relics and collections are finally transferred from the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo and other places to the Grand Egyptian Museum, it will host about 100,000 ancient artifacts, 4,549 of which will be from the tomb of the famous king of Tutankhamun.
The GEM is expected to welcome around 15,000 visitors per day, roughly three times the number of people who visit the current museum daily. They can see the facility's artifacts and the three famous Pyramids at the same time through modern technological tools.
The facility was mainly designed to preserve and maintain the Egyptian cultural and historic heritage, to organize temporary and permanent archaeological exhibitions in Egypt, and to hold cultural and scientific symposia, conferences and activities aiming at raising public awareness of the Egyptian civilization.
The GEM had opened 12 halls with exhibits about ancient Egypt in its main galleries in a trial run ahead of the announced official opening, coinciding with final arrangements and preparations for shops, cafeterias, restaurants, gardens and parks.
The GEM has adopted a clear-cut sustainable development strategy by means of using green building dimensions in all phases of the mega project through lobby ventilation and natural lighting.
The Egyptian government, in fact, is racing against time to complete all arrangements for officially opening the GEM for visitors on July 3.
In this context, Spokesman for the Egyptian Cabinet Mohammad Al-Homosani told KUNA that the government was doing its utmost to finish all preparations to inaugurate the museum at the previously announced time.
He added that a large number of kings, presidents, emirs and senior officials from different world countries would be invited to attend the high-level opening ceremony.
He pointed out that works are in full swing to put the final touches for completing the development of surrounding areas involving corridors and main roads leading up to the facility, in addition to the underway development of the area surrounding the Giza Pyramids, thus becoming an integrated touristic destination.
The spokesman added that the GEM would be run in line with relevant international standards in order to be one of the most significant tourist attractions not only in Egypt but in the entire world as well.
Al-Homosani underlined that this mega project came within the framework of the Egyptian government's eagerness to promote the tourist sector and develop the country's main attractions with a view to drawing more tourists, boosting operation rates, creating job opportunities and raising foreign exchange reserves.
For his part, Dr. Mohammad Ghoneim, a professor of artifact restoration and conservation and vice-dean of Minia University's College of Fine Arts told KUNA that it was necessary to establish a grand modern-styled museum in order to deliver its all-out message of displaying, conserving, and considering historic collections.
He added the mega project was mainly meant to ease the burden on the current Egyptian Museum, which was established in 1902 and is home to a large number of relics, and to introduce modern conservation and restoration methods as well as to promote cultural, educational and scientific activities and conferences.
He remarked that the location of the 500,000-meter GEM was carefully chosen in order to be on the Giza Plateau and next door to the world-famous Giza Pyramids.
The Egyptian professor elaborated that the GEM is home to tens of thousands of Egyptian artifacts, mainly the tomb of Tutankhamun, which is to be displayed for the first time since it was unearthed in 1922.
He commended the mega museum as being a cultural and civilizational beacon and an entertainment and business hub that would unquestionably contribute to the promotion of domestic and foreign tourism.
