The colossal Egyptian Museum opens after twenty years of construction

BarcelonaTutankhamun's golden mask, his throne, and the 5,000 funerary objects that the young pharaoh took to his tomb 3,500 years ago are finally on display together in their new home. The Grand Egyptian Museum opens its doors this Saturday on the Giza plateau, 20 kilometers from Cairo, with the monumental pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure silhouetted 2 kilometers away on the horizon. It is a pharaonic project in every sense: it occupies 48 hectares (twice the size of the Louvre), cost one billion euros (mostly funded by Japan), and will exhibit between 50,000 and 100,000 archaeological pieces from Ancient Egypt. It is the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization.

Like a pyramid, it has taken more than two decades to reach its inauguration. Announced in 1992, Hosni Mubarak laid its foundation stone in 2002, and last year the twelve main galleries partially opened, overcoming delays due to financial, political, and security problems (from the Arab Spring to the Gaza War), as well as the pandemic. After postponing the opening in July due to Israeli bombings in Iran, November 1st is the official inauguration date. The museum and the entire esplanade are under military control. The government wants to turn the celebration into a symbol of national pride. An "unprecedented historical event" is planned, to be attended by 60 world leaders and 450 correspondents, authorities announced. TikTok is the main sponsor of the gala's broadcast.

The feast of art history

The immense colossus of Ramses II, 12 meters tall, weighing 83 tons, and 3,200 years old, welcomes visitors. The museum contains true landmarks of Egyptology and iconic pieces from the history of art, such as the funerary boat of Khufu, a 43-meter vessel that was buried at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza; the Narmer Palette; the funerary regalia of Queen Hetepheres; and the stone sarcophagus of Thutmose I. Many of the pieces come from the old museum that stood in Tahrir Square in Cairo, and others have been unearthed from recently explored sites, such as the necropolis of SaqqaThe construction, which required the removal of tons of sand to ensure it wasn't built on top of an archaeological site, adheres to the highest standards for the preservation and display of antiquities. The tour incorporates multimedia presentations and augmented reality to explain this entire legacy to a 21st-century audience. It also includes a children's museum, a retail area, and the largest restoration center in the Middle East. The storage facilities can accommodate 50,000 artifacts.

Tutankhamun, an immortal phenomenon

One hundred years after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, Egypt will once again test the allure of the famous pharaoh. The museum is displaying, together for the first time in history, the 5,398 artifacts that Howard Carter found on October 28, 1925, when he discovered the three burial chambers and opened the three sarcophagi that protected Tutankhamun's mummy. The gold mask inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, and turquoiseThe statue, which weighs 10 kilos and represents the god Osiris, is the crown jewel of the museum, but the entire regalia is on display: the ceremonial chariot, the three sarcophagi, the royal throne, jewelry, sandals and ritual furniture, in a space of 7,500 m²²The museum's tour covers seven thousand years of Pharaonic civilization, from Predynastic Egypt to the Greco-Roman period, with artifacts arranged thematically and chronologically. It will open to the public on the 4th, with tickets ranging from €13 to €26 (less than €3 for locals). It is expected to attract around 5 million visitors annually (approximately 15,000 visitors daily) and is anticipated to boost cultural tourism, revitalizing a struggling economy. According to official sources, 2024 saw a record 15.7 million visitors. The goal is to double that number by 2032.