Billion-dollar Grand Egyptian Museum to show Egypt's ancient civilisation

By Tarek El-Tablawy and Abdel Latif Wahba

 

Egypt inaugurated a long-anticipated $1 billion museum that showcases the wonders of its ancient past and is poised to supercharge the North African nation’s crucial tourism sector.

 

Fireworks illuminated the Cairo night skies and the nearby Pyramids of Giza glowed with crimson lights as the Grand Egyptian Museum was formally declared open on Saturday evening after two decades of work.

 

Officials have described the vast facility that houses over 100,000 artifacts from across seven millenia of history as “a gift from Egypt to the world.” The lineup at Saturday’s ceremony counted members of royalty and governments from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and beyond in attendance.

 

The GEM “writes a new chapter in the history of the present and the future,” President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a speech, describing the museum as a “living testament to the genius of the Egyptian” individual.

 

He placed a final stone that illuminated the halls of the futuristic 500,000 square-meter (123-acre) complex, whose exhibits include the famed mask of boy King Tutankhamun and the complete collection of his treasures.

 

The glitzy opening — which included live orchestral music and songs, actors in ancient Egyptian garb and filmed interludes from Paris, New York and Rio de Janeiro as well as pyrotechnics in the sky — is being heralded by officials as a watershed moment for Egypt’s tourism industry.

 

The Middle East’s most populous nation is overcoming an economic crisis and the knock-on effects of two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas and other Iranian-backed groups. Tourism, a major source of foreign currency, has proved resilient, with the government forecasting a record 18 million arrivals this year.

 

Cairo played a significant role in mediating last month’s deal to end the Israel-Hamas war. Flying banners and illuminations at Saturday’s ceremony drummed home the message of Egypt as “the land of peace.”

 

Construction on the GEM museum began in 2005, but work was repeatedly delayed by issues including the Arab Spring uprising and the Covid-19 pandemic. Many halls have been accessible to the public for more than a year in a so-called soft opening that’s brought about 5,000 to 6,000 daily visitors. 

 

That’s expected to now triple to about 15,000 per day — or more than 5 million annually — making the GEM “one of the most visited cultural institutions in the world,” according to Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy.

 

“The museum’s impact will extend far beyond its own gates” and “serve as a catalyst for Egypt’s broader tourism ecosystem,” he said in an interview. 

 

The country, already popular for its Red Sea beach resorts and Nile River cruises, is seeking to attract 30 million annual arrivals by 2031. It’s building flashy new hotels and revamping historic Cairo while attracting more international flights and developing its less-visited Mediterranean coastline.

 

Saturday’s event was tightly secured, with several major roads reserved for dignitaries to reach the GEM. Security officials were posted at regular intervals along the routes, while billboards extolled Egypt’s Pharaonic legacy.

 

The GEM will take over the role as the main depository for Egypt’s Pharaonic heritage from the more than century-old Cairo Museum in the capital’s downtown. Designed by Heneghan Peng Architects to echo the nearby pyramids with its triangular elements and alignment, much of the funding — about $800 million in soft loans — came from Japan.

 

Along with the exhibits, the GEM offers interactive displays — some using virtual reality — shops, restaurants and conference rooms for business gatherings. It’ll also be a major venue for food festivals, musical shows and sports events, according to local media. 

 

Authorities are touting environmentally friendly features such as energy-efficient lighting, water-saving and smart meters that monitor consumption in real time.

 

Wary of repeating past logistical mistakes, officials tapped international advisers to streamline the visitor experience and ease crowd management and ticketing for the GEM. Meanwhile, a $30 million revamp on the nearby Giza plateau seeks to make a trip to the 4,600-year-old pyramids hassle-free.