Set to open by the end of 2020, the Grand Egypt Museum (GEM) will be the world’s largest archeological museum dedicated to a single civilisation, displaying 50,000 artefacts and never-before-seen relics of King Tutankhamun.
Undoubtedly the main highlight and also a topic of controversy amongst the locals is the mb of King Tutankhamun, ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaoh. For the first time, the boy king's tomb will be shown in its entirety including his coffin itself. The coffins and treasures was removed from its original burial site at the Valley of Kings in Luxor, rising cries of protest from the Luxor residents as it has been a main tourist attractions for them. There is also talks that the removal of the burial site will trigger the infamous Curse of the pharaohs.
While about 1,500 items from the boy king’s tomb were displayed in the old museum, the GEM will exhibit 5,400 objects retrieved from his tomb (discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922) in the Tutankhamun gallery, including his three coffins and his treasures. Along with informative narratives that tell the story of King Tut’s lifestyle, the artefacts are displayed in the same order that Carter came across them in the tomb a century ago, taking visitors through an emotional journey of Egypt’s ancient world.
While the official opening date has yet to be announced (having been pushed back several times) the GEM has announced its pricings for tourists and locals.
Entrance Ticket Details For The Grand Egyptian Museum Entrance fees: EGP400 (approx RM100) for foreigners, EGP60 (approx RM16) for locals.
(if you're a student bring along your student ID to get 50% off)
Grand Egyptian Museum hours:
Sun - Thur: 9 am - 4 pm
The new museum is expected to draw in over 15 million tourists to Egypt, matching the number of visitors in 2020 before the Arab Spring revolutions occured. Lonely Planet even named Cairo as one of the top 10 cities to visit this year due to the museum's opening and the launch of the new Sphinx Airport.