Egypt opens $1 billion museum after 20 years of construction

After two decades of waiting, the world's largest archaeological museum — the Grand Egyptian Museum — is finally set to open in Cairo. The massive museum, built at a cost of about $1 billion, or 1 billion, dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilization, is set to officially open on Saturday.

Located just a mile from the Giza Pyramids, the 470,000-square-meter facility was announced in 1992, but construction began in 2005. Parts of the museum were opened on a trial basis in 2024.

The museum houses more than 50,000 artifacts, including a 3,200-year-old 83-ton statue of Ramses II and a 4,500-year-old royal boat of Pharaoh Khufu — who is known for building the famous pyramids at Giza.

The Grand Egyptian Museum has 24,000 square meters of permanent exhibition space, a children's museum, an education and conference center, a commercial area and a state-of-the-art archive. 12 main galleries display artifacts from prehistoric times to the Roman era, organized by era and theme.

Most of the museum's artifacts were transferred from the centuries-old Egyptian Museum, formerly located in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Some artifacts were recently discovered in the Saqqara Necropolis and nearby ancient tombs.

The museum's CEO Ahmed Ghoneim said that advanced technology has been used here - mixed reality and multimedia displays have made ancient heritage attractive to a new generation.

He said, "We are speaking the language of Generation Z. They don't want to read traditional labels, they want to learn history through technology."

The museum’s official opening has been postponed several times, most recently in July due to the Middle East conflict, particularly the Gaza crisis. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and world leaders are expected to attend the opening ceremony. Earlier, fireworks were held at the Giza Pyramids and a newly constructed walkway connects the pyramids and the museum.

The Grand Egyptian Museum is part of Egypt’s massive infrastructure development plan, which also includes a new metro line and an airport due to open in 2020.

Egypt’s tourism sector is on the verge of recovery after a long period of political unrest and the Covid pandemic. A record 15.7 million tourists visited the country in 2024, and the government aims to double that number by 2032.

Hassan Allam, CEO of Hassan Allam Holding Company, said 15,000 to 20,000 visitors are expected daily. “The world has been waiting – now everyone is excited,” he said.

"This is Egypt's gift to the world. We are finally sharing it - that is our pride," said Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathi.

But questions have been raised about the security of the artifacts ahead of the opening. In recent weeks, two artifacts, including a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet, were stolen from a Cairo museum's archives. Many archaeological sites were also looted during the 2011 Arab Spring.

The new museum is seen as a strategic cultural investment not only in ancient Egyptian heritage but also in Africa's second-largest economy - one that could take Egypt to new heights in terms of tourism and foreign exchange earnings.