The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the world's largest museum dedicated to a single civilization, officially opened on Nov. 1. For the first time, it is displaying all approximately 5,000 artifacts from the tomb of the famous 14th-century BCE Pharaoh Tutankhamun, with authorities hoping this will boost tourism.
Located in Giza, southwest of Cairo, the museum took over 20 years to construct, covering a total area of approximately 5.4 million square feet, with permanent exhibition spaces spanning about 258,000 square feet. The museum's exterior features hieroglyphic inscriptions and triangular-cut translucent alabaster panels, while the entrance is pyramid-shaped. Housing over 100,000 artifacts, it marks the first complete and centralized display of all 5,992 burial items from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb, including the iconic gold mask, throne, and chariots. Other highlights include an 11-meter-tall statue of 19th Dynasty Pharaoh Ramses II and the approximately 45-meter-long "Solar Boat" of Pharaoh Khufu from the 4th Dynasty around 2500 BCE—the oldest and largest wooden artifact ever discovered. Media reports note that if visitors spent just one minute viewing each item in the collection, it would take 70 days without rest to see everything.
Dozens of official delegations led by heads of state, government leaders, and heads of regional and international organizations attended the inauguration ceremony held that evening.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi unveiled the museum and delivered a speech at the ceremony. He stated that this is the world's largest museum dedicated exclusively to a single civilization—Egyptian civilization. He described the magnificent structure not only as a place to preserve precious artifacts but also as a living testament to the wisdom of the Egyptian people, the same wisdom that enabled them to build the pyramids and inscribe eternal legends on temple walls.
"As our president said, the Grand Egyptian Museum is Egypt's gift to the world. It has transformed the landscape of Egyptian tourism and promoted cultural tourism, which is very important," said the Director General of the Grand Egyptian Museum. He noted that a new airport has been built near the museum, along with additional hotels and leisure facilities, and extended a warm welcome to Chinese tourists to explore ancient Egyptian civilization.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will open to the public on Nov. 4.
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