The home of Egypt's mummies and King Tutankhamun's treasures is trying to make the best out of the worst times of political turmoil. But the Egyptian Museum is taking a hammering on multiple levels, from riots on its doorstep to funding so meager it can't keep up paper clip supplies for its staff.
The museum, a treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, has long been one of the centerpieces of tourism to Egypt. But the constant instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak has dried up the industry, slashing a key source of revenue. Moreover, political backbiting and attempts to stop corruption have had a knock-on effect of bringing a de facto ban on sending antiquities on tours to museums abroad, cutting off what was once a major source of funding for the state.
Optimistically looking ahead, the museum is trying to turn its fortunes around with an extensive renovation of the 111-year-old salmon-colored building.
The repeated eruption of protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where the museum is located, has also scared away visitors. Over the summer there were the giant rallies that led to the July 3 military coup ousting Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. In recent weeks, protesters have returned to Tahrir, now venting their anger at the military-backed government that took its place.
"Tahrir Square is considered as the birthplace of the Egyptian revolution, and the museum is like a thermometer. It gets affected by the political situation at the square," said Sayed Amer, the director of the Egyptian Museum, in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
The antiquities minister, Mohammed Ibrahim, tried to put a brave face, saying at least the museum remains open. "Sometimes the square is closed but we keep the museum open," he said.
On recent visits to the museum by the AP, there were only a handful of foreign visitors, and none at its most prized exhibits of mummies and King Tut's treasures.
The palatial museum is trying to make the most of the dry times. The decor will get a makeover, and lighting and security systems will be upgraded in an overhaul, in cooperation with Germany, costing more than USD 4.3 million.
Plans are also being drawn up to demolish the neighbouring high-rise that housed the former headquarters of Mubarak's National Democratic Party, which was burned during the uprising, to create an open-air, Nile-side exhibition garden for the museum.
