Assalamu alaikum - Egypt opens the Grand Egyptian Museum celebrating its ancient heritage
Assalamu alaikum. Egypt is finally opening the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids, a place meant to honour the country’s ancient civilisation and help revive tourism and the economy.
The presidency said many world leaders, including monarchs and heads of state, were expected to attend the opening ceremony in Cairo. It called the event “an exceptional moment in the history of human culture and civilisation.”
The museum’s permanent exhibition space covers about 24,000 square metres and will display massive statues and artifacts from across Egypt’s history. After around twenty years of work, the complex sits close to the pyramids and has been put together to connect the legacy of ancient Egyptians with the creativity of modern ones, as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wrote.
Security in Cairo was increased before the opening and the government declared a public holiday for the ceremony. The museum had allowed limited visits in recent years but closed for final preparations. The surrounding area and the Giza Plateau have been upgraded - roads improved, a metro station is being built near the gates, and a new airport, Sphinx International Airport, opened west of Cairo to make access easier.
Construction started back in 2005 but faced delays because of political instability. Visitors entering the atrium will see a grand six-storey staircase flanked by ancient statues leading to the main galleries, with views toward the nearby pyramids. A pedestrian bridge links the museum to the pyramids so people can walk or use electric vehicles between the sites.
Twelve main galleries, some of which opened last year, display antiquities from prehistoric times through the Roman era, organised by era and theme. Two halls are devoted to the roughly 5,000 artifacts from King Tutankhamun’s collection, which will be shown together for the first time since Howard Carter discovered his tomb in Luxor in 1922.
The government hopes the museum will attract longer-staying visitors and bring in the foreign currency needed to support Egypt’s economy. In 2024 about 15.7 million tourists visited Egypt, contributing around 8% of GDP, and the government’s goal is to reach 30 million visitors a year by 2032. Authorities said the museum would open to the public from Tuesday.
May Allah bless efforts to preserve and share knowledge of these ancient achievements, and may it be a means of benefit and good for the people of Egypt and visitors alike.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news