Today, Saturday, the Arab Republic of Egypt officially opened the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza Governorate, in a huge global event that embodies Egypt’s historical status as a cradle of human civilization, and as the largest cultural edifice in the twenty-first century. The museum includes the most prominent archaeological treasures from the era of the Pharaohs, including giant statues, coffins, jewelry, and royal tools, on an area exceeding 50,000 square meters.
The opening ceremony witnessed a wide attendance of world leaders and senior political, cultural and artistic figures from various countries, in addition to representatives of international and regional organizations, which reflects the global interest in the cultural status of Egypt and in the museum, which is considered one of the most important cultural projects in the modern era.
On this occasion, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi welcomed the guests attending the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, stressing that this edifice combines the genius of the ancient Egyptian with the creativity of the contemporary Egyptian, and reflects Egypt’s message of spreading peace and understanding among peoples.
His Excellency said that the opening of the museum in “the good land of Egypt, the cradle of human civilization,” comes to add to the world of culture and arts a new landmark around which everyone interested in civilization and knowledge will rally, pointing out that the museum embodies the unity of humanity and the values of love and cooperation between nations, wishing the guests of Egypt to spend a special time between the vastness of the ancient past and the prosperous present.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is an ambitious national project aimed at enhancing the tourism sector and supporting the national economy, as construction work took more than twenty years at a cost exceeding one billion dollars. It was designed by the Irish company Henghan Ping, with a stone and glass facade inspired by the shape of the fourth pyramid next to the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.
The museum includes more than 100,000 artifacts representing 30 Pharaonic dynasties, of which only about half are displayed, while the other pieces are kept in designated warehouses inside the building, which is expected to receive more than five million visitors annually.
The statue of King Ramses II, which weighs 83 tons and is 11 meters high, tops the entrance to the main lobby of the museum, in addition to halls dedicated to Pharaoh Tutankhamun, which contain more than 4,500 funerary objects, most notably the golden mask studded with precious stones and the stone sarcophagus made of red quartz.
The museum also includes an independent building to display the solar boat of King Khufu, which was made of cedar and acacia wood about 4,600 years ago and is 43.5 meters long. It is the oldest and largest wooden archaeological piece in history.
The heart of the museum is located around a huge staircase decorated with statues and Pharaonic tombs that lead to a panoramic facade overlooking the pyramids. The upper floors include 12 exhibition halls that tell 50 centuries of Egyptian history from prehistoric times until the Greek and Roman eras, in addition to research and restoration centers, libraries, and integrated tourist and service facilities, to provide a unique cultural experience that combines the glorious past and the renewed present.
