Egypt opens Grand Egyptian Museum beside Giza pyramids after decades of delay

Egypt has inaugurated the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Great Pyramid of Giza, unveiling the world’s largest archaeological museum and a modern cultural landmark celebrating over 7,000 years of history.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the inauguration ceremony on Saturday, welcoming heads of state and officials to Giza for the museum’s official opening. Among the guests were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Oman’s Crown Prince Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al-Said.

The leaders, accompanied by Egypt’s First Lady Entissar Mohamed Amer, posed for a family photo beneath the museum’s striking glass facade. Aerial footage of the ceremony captured the scale of the new complex, standing at the edge of the desert with the Giza pyramids rising in the background.

The event marked the culmination of a project nearly three decades in the making. First proposed in 1992 and begun in 2005, the museum faced repeated delays due to financial setbacks, political unrest following the 2011 uprising, and the global pandemic.

The largest archaeological museum ever built
Covering 500,000 square metres, the Grand Egyptian Museum is now considered the largest archaeological institution devoted to a single civilisation. It's 100,000 artefacts span seven millennia of Egypt’s history, from prehistoric periods to the Greek and Roman eras.

At the museum’s entrance, visitors are greeted by the colossal 11-metre-high statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II, relocated from Cairo’s Ramses Square in 2006. A suspended 16-metre obelisk dedicated to the same pharaoh and a 4,500-year-old wooden funerary boat belonging to King Khufu are among the museum’s centrepieces.

The main atrium features a monumental staircase lined with statues of ancient Egyptian rulers, leading upward to a grand window framing a panoramic view of the Giza pyramids.

Tutankhamun collection displayed in full
A central highlight is the complete exhibition of treasures from the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun. For the first time since British archaeologist Howard Carter’s discovery in 1922, the entire collection of more than 5,000 objects is displayed together. The exhibit includes the pharaoh’s gold funerary mask, ornate throne, chariots, jewellery, and ceremonial weapons.

Egyptian conservators at the museum have restored hundreds of Tutankhamun’s belongings, some made of fragile materials such as textiles and leather, bringing them to public view for the first time in over a century.

Architectural vision and design
Designed by the Dublin-based firm Heneghan Peng Architects, the Grand Egyptian Museum combines cutting-edge design with visual homage to ancient Egypt. The pyramid-shaped entrance, alabaster façades etched with hieroglyphs, and vast exhibition halls convey both scale and symbolism.

Inside, advanced lighting, climate control, and virtual-reality installations redefine how ancient artefacts are displayed. Most galleries had been partially opened to the public in previous years, allowing Egyptologists and visitors to preview the scale and ambition behind the institution.

Symbol of national pride and future ambition
Costing an estimated $1.2 billion, the museum stands as one of the largest cultural investments in Egypt’s modern history. Officials expect it to draw up to 8 million visitors annually, positioning it as a new global centre for archaeology, research, and tourism.

The Egyptian government views the project as part of a broader strategy to revitalise the tourism sector, a key source of foreign currency for essential imports such as wheat and fuel. Roads around Giza have been upgraded, a new airport has been built nearby, and the main entrance to the pyramids has been relocated to improve accessibility and reduce congestion.

For Egyptologists and citizens alike, the Grand Egyptian Museum represents more than an architectural achievement. It is a declaration of cultural confidence, linking the grandeur of the pharaohs with Egypt’s modern identity and aspirations.

Image caption: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomes world leaders during the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The vast complex stands beside the Great Pyramid, housing 100,000 artefacts from across Egypt’s history.

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