This ambitious project will become the largest museum in the world with more than 45,000 unique pieces dedicated to a single civilisation.
After more than ten years of construction and an investment of $550 million, the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board recently announced at the 40th edition of FITUR that the Grand Egyptian Museum will finally open at the end of 2020.
Situated just two kilometres from the Giza pyramids, the project was designed by the Irish architectural firm Heneghan Peng, who won the international competition held under the support of UNESCO and the supervision of the International Union of Architects (UIA).
When opened later this year, the Grand Egyptian Museum will exhibit 45,000 pieces from different museums, 20,000 of which have never before been shown to the public.
The main attraction will be the two galleries dedicated to Tutankhamen, which with more than 5000 artefacts -three times the amount currently on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo- will house the largest collection of Tutankhamen relics ever displayed since his tomb was discovered in 1922.
The other galleries will showcase pieces from the Prehistoric time and the Pre-Dynastic Period to the Late Roman Period.
The museum complex is built on a land area of more than 480,000 square metres, with eye-catching translucent windows measuring more than 600 metres in height and 45 long that allow visitors a panoramic view of the pyramids from the inside and some of the pieces on display from the outside.
The entrance to the museum is found in a slot of this spectacular facade. Here, a massive statue of Ramses II greets visitors upon entry and leads them to the Grand Staircase, which structures the visit following the chronological order of the different periods of ancient Egypt.
In addition to the exhibition rooms, the Grand Egyptian Museum will have several shops, restaurants, a conference centre with capacity for 1000 people, a library, three parks and a conservation centre, which aims to be the largest in the Middle East.
Children will also enjoy the museum as it has a specially designed area with lots of activities to stimulate their curiosity, with games, art and crafts and virtual galleries. The museum will also have a space dedicated to people with special needs.
Ahmed Yousef, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, said that “the Grand Egyptian Musem will be able to receive 15,000 daily visits, both in permanent and temporary exhibitions.
With the most extensive collection dedicated to a single civilisation, the museum’s historical and cultural richness will be unique in the world. Therefore, we expect to welcome 5 million visitors during the first year, and we have no doubt that it will be an excellent opportunity for us to showcase the splendour of a civilisation that existed for almost 4000 years.
