Egypt's vast and overdue antiquities museum will open its main galleries on Wednesday, including 12 halls that showcase ancient features. Egypt.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega-project near the famous Giza pyramids that has so far cost more than $1bn (£765m), will open its halls to 4,000 visitors as a trial run until the official opening date. Assistant to the Minister of Archeology Al-Tayeb Abbas said that will be announced.
The opening of the museum, which has been under construction for more than a decade, has been repeatedly delayed for various reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
The world's largest archaeological museum, with more than 100,000 artifacts of Egypt's ancient treasures on display, according to the Egyptian government information website.
Abbas said the trial run will prepare the museum for a full opening by in-depth understanding of operational issues such as identifying congested areas.
The scenes in the 12 halls tap into society, religion and doctrines in ancient Egypt, he added. All the open-style halls are categorized by dynasty and historical order, and each displays at least 15,000 artifacts.
The eras displayed in the main galleries include the Third Intermediate Period (1070-664 BC), Late Period (664-332 BC), Greco-Roman Period (332BC-AD395), New Kingdom (1550-1070BC), Middle Kingdom. (2030-1650BC), and the Old Kingdom (2649-2130BC). One of the halls displays statues of the “king's elite”: members of the royal family and high officials who served in the military, priesthood and government.
Parts of the site are open for limited tours from late 2022 to test the visitor experience and operational readiness of the museum.
Aude Porcedde, a Canadian tourist who has visited many of the sites, said she was amazed by the museum, adding that Egyptian civilization is very important to her and that the world should know more about it.
And Jorge Licano, a Costa Rica tourist, said, “There's a lot of history and a lot of things, especially coming from the other side of the world and seeing everything here and learning from the locals. Big.”
The Grand Staircase, six stories high and with a view of the pyramids, and the commercial area are open to the public, displaying monuments and artifacts as well as sarcophagi and statues. Other parts of the museum, including the Tutankhamun treasure collection, are scheduled to open at a later date.
All the halls are equipped with advanced technology and have multimedia presentations explaining the life of the ancient Egyptians, including its kings, says Isa Zidan, director general of preliminary restoration and replacement of antiquities at the museum.
One of the halls will use virtual reality to illustrate the history of the burial and its development throughout ancient Egypt.
“This museum is not only a place to display antiquities, but also aims to attract children to learn about ancient Egyptian history … This museum is a gift to the whole world,” Zidan said.
