Grand Egyptian Museum Is Opening in 2022, Finally!

by in Lifestyle

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will officially open its doors to visitors in 2022. Located in Giza, Egypt, on a plot of land covering over 45 acres, it is one of the world’s largest museums.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will feature the world’s largest pyramid as its centerpiece. But what can you expect when the museum finally opens to the public in 2022? Let’s look at what this new landmark means for tourists and Egyptians alike. It will house an estimated 100,000 objects. Entrance to its collections will be free of charge for all visitors. The Grand Egyptian Museum reflects a design that focuses on conservation, security and accessibility, and sustainability. It will be one of Egypt’s most important tourist attractions.

The GEM is located in Giza and stands adjacent to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on the east bank of Alexandria Harbor. Archeologists consider GEM as the biggest archeological museum in the world. Construction began on October 23, 2014. It contains over 700,000 square feet of space housing thousands of artifacts spanning thousands of years—from prehistory through Greco-Roman times and into modernity.

The museum is located on a 28-acre plot west of Giza’s entrance and close to the Cairo-Alexandria highway in Al-Haram District, previously known as El Ganoub district. When it opens soon in 2022, it will boast collections of artifacts from all periods of ancient Egypt. Museum collections include items discovered in a series of archeological digs launched by Zahi Hawass, beginning with his 1990 discovery of royal tombs near Luxor. Officials say they expect more than 20 million tourists each year to visit when it opens.

  • What to Expect

The Grand Egyptian Museum did cost approximately $1 billion. The GEM will comprise five main buildings, one dedicated to each of Egypt’s principal ancient civilizations; 

  • The Old Kingdom
  • The Middle Kingdom
  • The New Kingdom
  • The Greco-Roman Period
  • The Coptic and Islamic Egypt

The Grand Egyptian Museum opens its doors in 2022. The museum will feature 62 exhibition halls on 2 million square feet over four floors. The museum aims to provide visitors with a unique experience and opportunity to see antiquities and feel them. You will also have a chance to view the Giza pyramids as you familiarize yourself with the historic grounds of Cairo. Even better, you can book yourself in one of the best cairo hotels where you can have a fantastic view from the rooftop

  • Modern Egypt Gallery

The Grand Egypt Museum has also collected contemporary items too, such as cars and musical instruments — as a means of documenting day-to-day life in Egypt over decades. In addition, GEM also has a photography department that takes pictures of every new piece to make it available on social media pages with high traffic, like Facebook or Instagram. These photos are then uploaded onto databases so that visitors can know what they are looking at when they go inside. 

  • Neighborhood

The Grand Egyptian Museum location is at Cairo’s sprawling cultural complex overlooking Maadi, a leafy neighborhood where many diplomats live. The museum is close to Cairo’s most prestigious schools and an hour away from Giza Pyramids by car. The best cairo hotels are convenient for tourists who visit Egypt to see Tutankhamun’s tomb and other ancient relics, like Mena House Oberoi Hotel Cairo. The hotels offer guests luxurious accommodation with spectacular views over downtown Cairo and the great pyramids. 

Grand Egyptian Museum

  • Galleries

The Grand Egyptian Museum will contain over 700,000 square feet of space housing thousands of artifacts spanning thousands of years—from prehistory through Greco-Roman times and into modernity with exhibitions displaying different collections that celebrate Egypt’s history. The museum will house 140 galleries, including; 

  • Prehistory periods
  • Pharaonic periods
  • Coptic and Islamic Egypt
  • Kingdom of Nubia 
  • The Mummies room
  • Children’s section- which will include games and activities

  • Interesting Collection at The Full Tomb Collection

Ancient Egyptian tombs exhibit characteristic features distinct from those of any other culture, which have led modern-day scholars to dub it the ancient world’s greatest artist. The ancient Egyptians applied their artistic skills to stone, carving statues, bas-reliefs, and small objects such as amulets, rings, necklaces, and beads.

  • The King Tutankhamun Tomb Collection

The Grand Egyptian Museum will house and showcase King Tutankhamun’s tomb collection, including a solid gold coffin and death mask. The museum will also house a section dedicated to artifacts discovered during Egypt’s Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA) excavations throughout Egypt and discoveries made by Zahi Hawass before his death in 2012.

  • The Mummies

An integral part of Egypt’s historical facts, these preserved remains are one of humankind’s earliest and most striking artistic endeavors. Containing mummies has been a continuous practice in Egypt for more than two millennia; as there were mummies long before a museum, it seems only natural that there should be a Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) to house them.

  • Reconstructed Khufu ship

The Grand Egyptian museum will feature a reconstruction of Khufu’s ship. The statue, whose discovery was in 1954, has provided archeologists with new insights into funerary practices at the time of Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled Egypt from around 2551-2528 B.C.E. History records that Khufu created magnificent monuments throughout his land.

The reconstructed Khufu ship is part of priests’ grave goods during royal funerals thousands of years ago. Egyptians believed they needed all their physical needs fulfilled while still alive to reach paradise after death. Therefore, if they received a proper burial, they would enjoy their afterlife as well-  or so went their reasoning during that era.

Historians consider the Khufu ship the world’s oldest fully preserved and intact wooden vessel. It measures 44 meters long and 5 meters wide. Inside, it had held cedar-wood statues of its owner’s wife and children, with utensils such as cups, bowls, and other objects made out of copper, pottery ostrich eggs covered in gold foil, and other different products. Don’t miss this historic opportunity as the GEM opens to the world.

Conclusion

The Grand Egyptian Museum will feature many statues, funerary steles, carvings, jewelry, amulets, and more that date back from different periods, including Ancient Egypt until early Muslim rule. Seventeen museums exist, specializing in mummies, Islamic Artifacts, private collections, and others. All artifacts related to Ancient Egypt are spread out around Cairo, causing problems in preserving these precious pieces or displaying them correctly due to lack of space. As you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, enjoy yourself by visiting the best Cairo hotels. Let’s look forward to an exciting exhibition and museum opening!

Egyptian MuseumGrand Egyptian Museum