After more than a decade of delays and much anticipation, the Grand Egyptian Museum has opened its 12 main galleries, the Grand Staircase, and the Children's Museum. The caveat is that its prized King Tutankhamun collection and two King Khufu solar boats will remain under wraps until the yet-to-be-announced official opening. Nevertheless, there is plenty to see, with 15,000 artifacts spanning as far back as 700,000 BCE, up until the 4th century AD.
The Grand Egyptian Museum has revealed itself in phases over the last couple of years, starting with private events in November 2022 before opening its main atrium and retail area in February 2023. The over 30-foot high, 82-ton, 3,200-year-old Ramses II statue was the first piece to be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum site back in 2006, and it is the first artifact to greet visitors upon entering. Tours of the Grand Staircase—lined with more than 60 large statues, stelae, doorways, columns, and sarcophagi—followed a year ago. The Children’s Museum also quietly opened, and then, earlier this fall, with only a week’s notice, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that the main galleries would open for a “trial run” starting October 16.
Billed as the world’s largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilization, the Grand Egyptian Museum holds more than 50,000 artifacts. These include the full Tutankhamun collection of about 5,300 items, another 30,000 in temporary rotating exhibitions, and the 15,000 artifacts that are now on display in the newly opened main galleries. We were among the first inside to get a glimpse.
What to expect from the Grand Egyptian Museum (so far)
Visitors can opt to book admission tickets or 90-minute guided tours, which are offered in English and Arabic every hour, seven times a day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. However, as one of the first to visit, I can attest that 90 minutes doesn’t feel long to cover thousands of years of ancient history, so expect to speed through the museum and just grasp the highlights. After a brief overview of the pieces in the Grand Hall, the guide took my group up the escalator to whizz past the Grand Staircase and touch on its four themes, before stopping at the top to admire a view of the Pyramids of Giza, then turning into the main galleries.
The galleries are organized both in chronological order and by theme. Galleries one to three cover the Prehistoric Period, Predynastic Period, Early Dynastic Period, Old Kingdom, and First Intermediate Period between around 700,000 BCE to 2,034 BCE. Galleries four to six cover the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period between 2,034 BCE and 1,550 BCE. Galleries seven to nine cover the New Kingdom between 1,550 BCE and 1,069 BCE. The last galleries, 10 to 12, cover the Graeco-Roman Period, Late Period, and Third Intermediate Period between 1,069 BCE and 394 AD. Each period touches on three themes: society, kingship, and beliefs.
History is about storytelling and the museum’s curators sought to share the stories of the ancient Egyptians through these galleries. The first gallery, for example, themed around “society” features the hunting and farming tools used by communities in the prehistoric period, as well as wall paintings showing scenes of daily life. The statue of Scribe Nefer, with his dramatic kohl-lined eyes, points to the importance of writing texts on papyrus 4,500 years ago. The fourth gallery includes a statue of Osiris, the god of death and rebirth, supporting the theme of “beliefs” and in particular, the afterlife. Gallery five tells the “kingship” story of a time when Egypt was reunited under one government and large royal statues were placed in temples throughout the country.
There are also modern multimedia displays interspersed between the galleries. For example, a timeline shows how the Pyramids of Giza were built over a period of roughly 500 years, evolving from simple mud-brick mastabas to elaborate stone structures. Another exhibit recreates the Tomb Chapel of Khnumhotep II, a chief during the Middle Kingdom reigns of Amenemhat II and Senwosret II, who is known for his richly decorated tomb in Beni Hasan about 186 miles south of Cairo.
Egyptologist Ashraf Moussa, who was visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum with two fellow guides the same day as me, thought that the recreation of the Khnumhotep tomb was the highlight. “We used to travel for four hours to go to Beni Hasan and people [would] have to go up the mountain to see this beautiful tomb,” he says. “It wasn't easily accessible. Now it’s available with all of its details.”
The Queen Hetepheres collection is another favorite of Moussa. Found in a hidden burial chamber near the Great Pyramid of her son King Khufu, the collection includes her bed, chair, sarcophagus, canopic jars, and a box of bracelets.
Fellow tour guide Maged Salib cites the oversized statue of Queen Hatshepsut offering pots to the state god Amun-Re as one of the most beautiful in the collection. She became regent for her nephew King Thutmose III, and was later crowned as joint ruler.
How long should you allow for a visit?
A visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum requires at least three to four hours, says Salib, who is also the managing director of Anubis Travel. Travel companies have had to adjust their itineraries to allow guests enough time for a proper visit during their time in Giza, now that most of the museum is open. “You need to add one more night in Cairo,” he suggests.
Still, some visitors to the museum in its early stages just happen to be in Egypt, and are pleasantly surprised to find that the museum's soft opening has coincided with their time there. Others are making impromptu trips. Diane Mitsche, an Austrian living in Abu Dhabi, traveled with her husband and two young children during their midterm break in the early days to “show the kids the pyramids and a little bit of history.”
“It’s amazing,” she says. “It looks very modern and very big. We didn’t expect anything, so we’re fine with what we can see for now. Maybe we’ll come back in a few years.”
This article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.
