Museum

What makes the Grand Egyptian Museum a modern wonder

Spanning a staggering 500,000 square metres, roughly the size of 70 football fields, this $1.2 billion architectural masterpiece is one of the largest museums ever built. It will showcase around 100,000 artefacts that trace over 7,000 years of Egyptian civilisation, from the pre-dynastic era to the Greco-Roman period.

But the museum’s biggest attraction is, without doubt, the complete collection of treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb, displayed together for the first time in history, more than a century after their discovery.

Designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, an Irish firm, the museum’s striking, pyramid-inspired glass façade mirrors the grandeur of Giza’s ancient wonders nearby. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by the granite colossus of Ramesses the Great, a 36-foot-tall, 3,200-year-old statue that once stood in the heart of Cairo. Its commanding presence instantly sets the tone for the awe-inspiring journey ahead.

Inside, the facility boasts 258,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space, making it one of the largest museum interiors in the world. Beyond its galleries, the complex includes education and conference centres, a children’s museum, commercial zones, and what’s considered the world’s largest artefact conservation centre.

The museum’s 12 main galleries, opened last year, chronologically showcase Egypt’s evolution, from prehistoric artefacts to the Roman era. Many of these pieces were carefully relocated from Cairo’s century-old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.

Why is King Tutankhamun’s collection the star of the museum

According to the museum’s official Instagram handle, for the first time ever, all treasures belonging to King Tutankhamun, the 13th pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, are being displayed together under one roof. “For the first time in history, the complete treasure of King Tutankhamun stands reunited under one roof at the Grand Egyptian Museum,” the post reads.

His reign, between 1333 and 1323 BC, is often referred to as the golden age of ancient Egypt. Visitors can now witness the full splendour of the young pharaoh’s legacy, featuring over 5,000 artefacts, many of which are being showcased publicly for the first time.

Among these restored treasures are three funeral beds, six chariots, a golden throne, a gold-covered sarcophagus, and the legendary burial mask crafted from gold, quartzite, lapis lazuli, and coloured glass. “Some masterpieces were restored at the museum’s conservation centre, including the boy pharaoh’s three funeral beds and six chariots,” said Jailan Mohamed, chief restorer at the centre, in an interview with the Associated Press.

What other ancient wonders await visitors

Another unmissable exhibit is the 4,600-year-old solar boat of King Khufu, the pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Discovered in the 1950s and stretching 43 metres (140 feet) in length, the wooden vessel was buried beside the Great Pyramid to carry Khufu into the afterlife, a breathtaking reminder of ancient Egypt’s spiritual beliefs and craftsmanship.

The Egyptian government hopes that the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum will reinvigorate the country’s tourism sector, which suffered after the political unrest following the Arab Spring in 2011. In 2024 alone, Egypt welcomed 15.7 million tourists, and with the launch of this landmark attraction, both the government and locals anticipate a significant rise in global visitors.