Grand Egyptian Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM; Egyptian Arabic: المتحف المصري الكبير al-Matḥaf al-Miṣriyy al-Kabir; Ancient Egyptian: 𓎼𓂋𓄿𓈖𓂧 𓇋𓎼𓇯𓊪𓏏𓇋𓄿𓈖 𓅓𓅱𓋴𓇋𓅱𓅓) is an archaeological and national museum in Giza, Egypt, the largest museum in the world for a single civilization.^[4][5] It is located about two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Giza Pyramid Complex.

The museum was announced in 1992,^[4] actual construction began in 2005,^[6] and it was fully completed in 2023^[7] at a cost of $1.2 billion.^[8] Trial opening began in October 2024, and the official opening took place on 1 November 2025.^[9]

The museum houses a collection of Egyptian artifacts from various periods of the Egyptian civilization, from the Predynastic Period to Coptic Egypt, with an estimated total of over 100,000 artifacts,^[10] including at least 20,000 that will be displayed for the first time ever, including the complete King Tutankhamun collection comprising 5,398 pieces.^[11] The Tut collection is on display in a 7,500 m² section of the museum.^[12] Some newly-restored pieces will be displayed for the first time, such as the second solar ship of Khufu,^[13] the collection of Queen Hetepheres (mother of King Khufu),^[14] and the collection of Yuya and Thuyu (parents of Queen Tiye).

The museum extends over a total area of 500,000 m^2[15][16] (5,381,955 sq ft), with a built-up area of 167,000 m^2[17] (1,797,573 sq ft) and floor area of 81,000 m^2[18] (872,000 sq ft). It will also host permanent exhibition galleries, temporary exhibitions, special exhibitions, a children’s museum, and virtual and large-format screens with a total floor area of 32,000 m² (344,445 sq ft).

The museum was built by a joint venture of Egyptian Orascom Construction and the Belgian BESIX Group.^[19]

The Hanging Obelisk of Pharaoh Ramesses II front of the GEM

The idea to establish the Grand Egyptian Museum originated with in the early 1990s with Farouk Hosni, who served as Minister of Culture from 1987 to 2011. According to Hosni, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir had become old-fashioned and "Every time I visited the museum it gave me headaches and depression and its restoration was a disaster".^[20]

The project was officially launched by the government in 1992 under President Hosni Mubarak, who announced plans to build a new museum to house a larger collection of artifacts and to consolidate ancient treasures, In 2002, the foundation stone for the project was laid,^[21] and in 2005 the actual construction work began.^[22]

The Grand Egyptian Museum's opening has been postponed several times.

Since October 2024, the museum has received approximately 1.5 million visitors over 10 months, with an average of 4,000 visitors per day during the trial opening.^[3]

On 6 August 2025, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had agreed to set the GEM's opening date for 1 November,^[34][9] though it will be temporarily closed from 15 October to 3 November 2025, inclusive. The museum will resume receiving visitors during official working hours on 4 November, the 103rd anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.^[35]

The (GEM) was fully inaugurated on Novmber 1, 2025. The opening ceremony was attended by Egyptian president Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, the First Lady, as well as representatives of foreign countries and prominent public figures. Among the guest were King Philippe of Belgium, King Felipe VI of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan, Greece's Prime Minsiter Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Germany's President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier and others.

The Ceremony opened with words from Professor Sir Magdi Yacob, Former Minister and abstract artist Farouk Hosny and renowned environmentalist Mounir Neamatalla.

The ceremony music is composed by Hisham Nazih and conducted by Nayer Nagui, the ceremony was first introduced by Egyptian veteran artist Sherihan, with Egyptian sopranos Fatima Said and Raggaeddin, with Broadway star Shereen Ahmed. Yasmina Elabd introduced the event in English. Egyptian actors Ahmed Malek, Ahmed Ghozzi, Huda Elmufti, Salma Abu Dief participated in the prolouge portraying Ancient Egyptian Kings and Queens joined by Olympic athletes Feryal Abdelaziz, Ahmed ElGendy and Farida Othman. Mona Zaki and Karim Abdelaziz voices were used in the narration of the event.

The museum contains more than 100,000 artifacts distributed among 12 main permanent exhibition halls, in addition to several other important halls:

The Atrium (Great Hall) of the Grand Egyptian Museum is the main entrance hall with an area of ​​10,000 square meters. Designed with a glass roof and a transparent facade, the Giza Pyramids are visible from inside.

It houses the statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II (11 meters, 83 tons) and 20-30 large artifacts from different eras, making it an introductory exhibition. The Grand Staircase connects the 12 main exhibition halls, The statue was moved from Ramses Square in Cairo to its location in (GEM) in 2006 and placed in the Grand Hall (Atrium) in 2018.^[36]

An open staircase serves as a transitional gallery with more than 60 artifacts, leading to the 12 halls. Spanning 6,000 square meters, the structure stands six stories tall (approximately 50 meters), connecting the main lobby (atrium), temporary exhibition halls, and the main archaeological storeroom to the upper terrace, offering another view of the Giza Pyramids.^[37]

It contains more than 60 artifacts, arranged in four thematic sections that represent a chronological journey (Royal Image: focuses on how and why pharaohs portrayed themselves, with royal statues; Divine Houses: on temples and the relationship between gods and pharaohs, with religious artwork; Gods & Kings: explores ancient Egyptian deities and their association with rulers; Funerary Section: displays stone coffins and sarcophagi from various eras, including a hermione (pyamid head) from the 13th Dynasty).

The Grand Egyptian Museum's Conference Center is designed to serve as an international hub for communication between museums and cultural institutions. It aims to host conferences, seminars, and educational events related to ancient Egyptian civilization and archaeology.

View of the Pyramids of Giza from The Grand Egyptian Museum

It covers a total area of ​​40,000 square meters, divided into multi-use areas. It includes a main auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 seats, three seminar halls with a capacity of 250 seats each, as well as exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, a business center, and a press room. There is also a 250-seat 3D theater. The design is inspired by ancient Pharaonic sites.^[38]

Located within the main complex, it is accessible via the main atrium, with accessibility facilities for the disabled, including elevators and rest areas.

The exhibits cover about one-third of the total museum's 50-hectare grounds displaying over 24,000 artefacts in 12 galleries arranged by time period (c.3100BCE~400CE) The artefacts were relocated from storage and museums in Cairo, Luxor, Minya, Sohag, Assiut, Beni Suef, Fayoum, the Delta, and Alexandria.^[39][40]

The Children's Museum at GEM is an interactive space for children aged 6 to 12, emphasizing learning through play rather than traditional exhibits, it covers 5,000 square meters, with experiences including interactive screens, Augmented reality (AR), and hands-on games, as well as various visual exhibits and guided programs. It has been partially open since August 2024.^[41]

The golden mask of King Tutankhamun inside the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (formerly)

Two of the twelve halls are dedicated exclusively to the display of 5,398 artifacts belonging to King Tutankhamun, the pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ca. 1332–1323 BC). This is the first time that the entire collection has been displayed in one place, compared to the partial display in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square previously. These two halls cover an area of ​​7,000 square meters, making them among the largest spaces allocated for a single exhibition within the museum.^[42][43]

The halls are designed similarly to the original tomb (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings. Environmental control systems (such as temperature and humidity control) protect sensitive pieces, especially those made of gold, wood, and fabric.^[44]

The central piece will be the golden Mask of Tutankhamun. It is considered^{[by whom?]} one of the most famous artifacts in the world. There are three overlapping coffins, one made of gold (110 kg)^[45] and two of gold-plated wood. The Golden Throne is a chair covered in gold and silver, showing scenes of Tutankhamun and his wife Ankhesenamun. There are statues of gods such as Anubis, as well as amulets and jewellery such as necklaces and rings. Daily tools include weapons (daggers, bows), furniture (beds, chairs), and dining utensils. There are ushabti: small statues or figurines that were used in the afterlife to serve the king).^[46]

Tutankhamun's mummy will remain in the Valley of the Kings and will not be moved.^[47]

The Khufu ship, a full-size solar barque, at the Giza Solar boat museum, old location before being moved to GEM

The Khufu Ships Museum is a separate hall dedicated to displaying the two solar boats of King Khufu (the builder of the Great Pyramid), which are some of the oldest wooden ships discovered in history, approximately 4,600 years old^{[citation needed]}. Included is an interactive display explaining their proposed purpose(s) (perhaps to transport the king into the afterlife or his travels with the sun god Ra). It was transferred in August 2021 from the Old Giza Museum.^[48]

Four Temporary Exhibition Halls, dedicated to the display of temporary artifacts or international exhibitions. These cover a total of 5,000 square metres. These are part of 32,000 square metres dedicated to non-permanent displays.^[49]

GEM Conservation Center

The Grand Egyptian Museum's Conservation Center is one of the largest conservation and restoration centers in the world and the largest center for the restoration of antiquities in the Middle East. It was established in 2006 and opened in 2010.^[49] It is located west of the museum and connected to it via a tunnel approximately 200 meters long. The center houses 19 laboratories including those for the restoration of mummies, wood, stones, wall paintings, and metals, in addition to laboratories for preventive conservation and scientific documentation. It also contains six storage rooms for preserving artifacts in controlled environmental conditions.^{[citation needed]}

The main gate of the Grand Egyptian Museum during the construction phase

The building design was decided by an architectural competition announced on 7 January 2002.^[50] The organisers received 1,557 entries from 82 countries, making it the second largest architectural competition in history.^{[citation needed]} In the second stage of the competition, 20 entries submitted additional information on their designs. Judging was complete by 2 June 2003. The competition was won by architects Róisín Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng, and their company Heneghan Peng Architects of Ireland; the prize was US$250,000.^[51] Heneghan Peng, Buro Happold, Arup and ACE Consulting Engineers (Moharram and Bakhoum) collaborated on the design of the building. The landscape and site masterplan was designed by West 8; the exhibition masterplan, exhibition design, and museology was led by Atelier Brückner.^[52] On 2 February 2010, Hill International announced that Egypt's Ministry of Culture had signed a contract with a joint venture of Hill and EHAF Consulting Engineers to provide project management services during the design and construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum.^[53]

A guide map of the Grand Egyptian Museum facilities

The building's shape is a chamfered triangle. It sits on a site 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) northwest of the pyramids, near a motorway interchange. The building's north and south walls line up directly with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure. The front of the museum includes a large plaza filled with date palms and a façade made of translucent alabaster stone. Inside the main entrance is a large atrium where large statues are exhibited.

Hieroglyphic decorations on the walls of the Grand Egyptian Museum

The facade of the museum is made of marble and glass and is decorated with cartouches and ovals surrounding Egyptian hieroglyphs bearing the names of kings and queens.^[54]

On 10 June 2018, the museum's logo was revealed. The logo was designed by Tariq Atrissi.^[55] The cost of the design amounted to 800,000 Egyptian pounds, which included the costs of designing the museum exhibition implemented by the German company Atelier Bruckner.^[56]

The GEM's management structure includes the Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors, and the Museum's CEO and vice presidents.

The Board of Trustees is an oversight group responsible for approving the policy and plans of the Museum Authority.^[who?] It consists of a 16-person council which sits for a term of 3 years. The composition, term length and scope of work of the Board of Trustees are determined by the President of Egypt.^[57][58]

The museum has hosted different artistic and cultural events and venues since its partial opening. On 20 January 2023, the first musical concert held in the museum had Egypt's soprano Fatma Said along with United Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir led by Nader Abbassi.^[59]

• Egyptian Museum
• List of museums of Egyptian antiquities

• Official website
• Detailed building description
• JICA-GEM Joint Conservation project
• A website dedicated to the Grand Egyptian Museum