A vast $1bn museum billed as the world’s largest archaeological facility dedicated to a single civilisation will open outside Cairo on Saturday, after countless delays over the course of its two-decade construction.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, located a mile away from the pyramids of Giza, covers an area of 470,000 sq metres. The complex was announced in 1992 but it was not until 2005 that construction began. Some areas of the museum opened in a soft launch in 2024.
More than 50,000 items will be housed in the museum, including an 83-ton, 3,200-year-old colossus of Ramesses II and a 4,500-year-old boat belonging to Khufu, the pharaoh credited with building the pyramids.
Tourists stand under the statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP
The museum includes 24,000 sq metres of permanent exhibition space, a children’s museum, conference and educational facilities, a commercial area and a large conservation centre. The 12 main galleries, which opened last year, exhibit antiquities spanning from prehistoric times to the Roman era, organised by era and theme.
Many of the artefacts were moved from the Egyptian Museum, a packed, century-old building in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Others were recently unearthed from ancient cemeteries, including the Saqqara necropolis, another complex of pyramids and tombs about 14 miles south of the museum.
Ahmed Ghoneim, the museum’s CEO, told reporters that the halls have advanced technology and feature multimedia presentations, including mixed-reality shows, to merge its timeless heritage with 21st-century creativity for new generations.
A tourist takes a selfie in front of the Akhenaten statue. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP
“We’re using the language that gen Z uses,” he said. “Gen Z doesn’t use the labels that we read as old people and would rather use technology.”
The grand opening was postponed several times, most recently in July because of conflicts in the Middle East, including the Gaza crisis. World leaders are expected to attend the opening ceremony alongside the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Before the opening, firework displays were reportedly tested at the Giza pyramids, which have a new connecting walkway to the museum.
The complex is part of a big infrastructure push in Egypt that includes a metro system under construction and an airport that began operations in 2020.
Tourists view the statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP
Aside from being a showcase of ancient heritage, the museum represents a strategic cultural-tourism investment for Africa’s second largest economy after years of disruptions. There was a drop in numbers during the 2011 Arab spring uprising and the coronavirus pandemic. A record 15.7 million people visited Egypt in 2024, according to official figures, and the government aims to attract double that number by 2032.
The government hopes the museum will draw more tourists who will stay for a while and provide the foreign currency Egypt needs to shore up its economy.
Hassan Allam, the CEO of Hassan Allam Holding, the firm administering the museum, said it is expecting between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors a day. “The world has been waiting … everyone’s excited,” he said.
The Egyptian government hopes the opening of the museum will give its tourism industry a big boost. Photograph: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters
Egypt’s tourism and antiquities minister, Sherif Fathy, said: “It is a gift from Egypt to the world and we are proud to finally share it.”
The museum opens as questions are being asked about the safety of artefacts in Egypt. In recent weeks, two artefacts have been stolen, including a 3,000-year-old gold pharaoh’s bracelet taken from a conservation lab in a Cairo museum. During the Arab spring, looters also raided archaeological sites, leading to the loss of several artefacts.
Associated Press contributed to this report
