Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo finally opens

After years of anticipation, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has finally opened its doors in Cairo, marking a milestone moment for Egypt’s tourism sector. 

 

The inauguration comes months after the museum’s previously scheduled launch date of 3 July 2025.

 

Two decades in the making and 11 years later than originally planned, the US$1 billion complex is described as the world’s largest archaeological museum and is expected to attract around 5 million visitors annually.

 

A main draw of the GEM will be the entire contents of the intact tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun, displayed together for the first time since it was discovered by British Egyptologist Howard Carter. They include Tutankhamun’s spectacular gold mask, throne and chariots.

 

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Situated just 2km from the Giza pyramids, GEM features an alabaster and glass façade and covers nearly 19,000 square metres, about the size of 70 football pitches. 

 

It houses more than 100,000 artefacts spanning 700,000 years of history, from the pharaonic era to the Greco-Roman period.

 

The 12 exhibition halls chart Egypt’s history from prehistoric times to the Roman era, with highlights such as Palaeolithic tools, colossal New Kingdom statues and Greco-Roman busts.

 

Many of the artefacts have been relocated from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, including the 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II that once stood in a busy Cairo intersection close to the railway station; and a 4,600-year-old solar boat of King Khufu, the pharaoh who is credited with building the Great Pyramid of Giza. 

 

Even the Grand Staircase, serving as the central axis to the galleries, is lined with hundreds of statues of ancient kings and queens.

 

Visitors can also explore the Children’s Museum, landscaped gardens, restaurants, cafés and shops.