On Saturday, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) officially opened in a ceremony overlooking the Giza Plateau. Seventy-nine delegations attended, thirty-nine led by kings, princes, or heads of state, a turnout Egyptian officials called the largest cultural gathering of the century.
BBC News reported that the billion-dollar complex, funded largely by Japanese loans, covered about 500,000 square meters, making it the largest archaeological museum devoted to a single civilization and, by Egyptian estimates, twice the size of the Louvre. Youm7 added that the triangular façade was aligned so visitors leaving the glass front see the pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure on the same desert horizon as the artefacts inside.
More than 100,000 objects traced 7,000 years of history. Up to 5,000 pieces from Tutankhamun’s tomb stood together for the first time since Howard Carter’s 1922 discovery, an ensemble curators called the New House of Tutankhamun. A 12-metre statue of Ramses II, moved from Ramses Square in 2006, anchored the atrium, while the 4,600-year-old Solar Barque of Khufu occupied its own 1,400-square-metre gallery after a careful relocation from the Giza Plateau.
“The inauguration celebration of the museum represents the culmination of efforts that lasted more than 20 years, reflecting pure Egyptian joy that resonates globally,” said Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum Authority, according to Youm7. Construction began in 2003; delays let planners expand features such as a 12,300-square-metre conservation center, now the largest restoration hub in the Middle East.
GEM departed sharply from the dim corridors of the 1902 Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. Twelve permanent galleries, an 18,000-square-metre display zone, and a six-storey Grand Staircase lined with 72 royal statues guided visitors chronologically from prehistory to the Roman era. Digitally driven labels, climate controls, and interactive children’s areas were designed for daily capacity of 15,000–20,000 people; Ghoneim forecast five to seven million visitors each year once routine operations begin.
“Egypt's unique position as a cultural bridge between all peoples of the world who love culture and peace,” said the inauguration’s official spokesman. A foreign adult ticket costs 1,450 Egyptian pounds (about US$30) and the Egyptian adult ticket at 200 pounds, a gap that stirred local debate.
Opening-night music by 218 Egyptian musicians and dancers rolled across the plateau while hundreds of drones lit the sky above the pyramids and holograms recreated scenes from pharaonic courts. Roads around the museum were sealed, and five checkpoints greeted guests entering the forecourt.
“Egypt is the first country known to history, the land of art, thought, and creed, and the Grand Egyptian Museum is a living testimony to the genius of the Egyptians and a civilizational message to the world,” said President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, while thanking Japan for financial support.
“It's a manifestation of soft power and an attempt to return Egypt its heritage,” said archaeologist Zahi Hawass, noting that Egyptians now lead major digs once dominated by foreign expeditions. “This will cause immense national pride, making ancient Egypt closer to the everyday life of Egyptians,” said Professor Salima Ikram of Cairo University.
Written with the help of a news-analysis system.