Twenty years in the making: The Grand Egyptian Museum officially opens

After 20 years in the making, the billion-dollar Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo opened on Saturday.

The GEM is the world's largest museum dedicated to an ancient civilisation, and showcases 50,000 artefacts, including the entire collection of treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamun, many of which are displayed for the first time.

The president's office praised the GEM as “an exceptional event in the history of human culture and civilisation,” and in a post on X, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi applauded the fact that the museum "brings together the genius of ancient Egyptians and the creativity of modern Egyptians".

The museum is expected to attract 5 million visitors annually, Egyptian businessman and member of the GEM's board of trustees, Sir Mohamed Mansour, said, adding to the impact it will have on the country's economy.

Such figures would place the GEM among the world’s leading museums. For comparison, in 2024, the Louvre in Paris welcomed 8.7 million visitors, the British Museum 6.5 million, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art 5.7 million.

Located right next to the pyramids, the museum incorporates triangular motifs throughout its design. Besides the triangular shape of the building's glass façade, its slanted roof also aligns with the pyramids' peaks.

From the atrium, an impressive six-story staircase lined with ancient statues leads up to the main galleries and a view of the ancient landmarks.

Besides its exhibition spaces, the museum will also include a conference centre, a library, educational facilities, a children's museum, and shops and restaurants.

What's missing from the GEM?

The GEM, which partially opened last year, has 12 main galleries, exhibiting antiquities ranging from prehistoric times to the Roman era.

The museum is celebrated for housing many of Egypt’s priceless artefacts from its ancient civilisation, including a granite colossus of Ramses the Great, an impressive statue that greets visitors as they enter the main hall.

However, some ancient Egyptian relics are notably missing from the GEM, including the Rosetta Stone, currently displayed at the British Museum in London; the Dendera Zodiac, in the Louvre in Paris; and Nefertiti's bust, in the Neues Museum of Berlin.

Egyptologists and Egyptians have long called for the return of prominent artefacts, and the opening of the GEM has once again reignited those demands.

Two decades in the making

World leaders, including monarchs, heads of state and governments, attended the grand opening ceremony in the Egyptian capital on Saturday.

"All of us as Egyptians are witnessing today a unique and exceptional event, literally, which is the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum," Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said during a press conference.

"This dream that we all imagined and we all wondered whether it was going to happen and we are going to see it executed and witness this great day," he added.

Construction of the megaproject began in 2005 during the presidency of Hosni Mubarak. The project was designed to replace the more modest Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo and aims to boost Egypt's tourism industry and overall economy.

The project was commissioned by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and delivered by Belgian construction company Besix, in a joint venture with Egypt's Orascom Construction.

However, the museum's completion faced several delays.

In an interview with Belgian news outlet VRT, Besix project leader Joris de Kinder explained that the project’s complex design, political turmoil during and following the 2011 Arab Spring, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza all contributed to the setbacks.

The museum had already opened partially in October last year, with its grand opening initially planned for July. The ceremony, however, was pushed back due to a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that erupted in June.

The public can book visits to the institution from 4 November, as the museum will be open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. The entrance fee for adult foreign visitors will be 1,450 Egyptian pounds (€27).