It feels fitting that the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo has taken almost as long to complete as the Great Pyramid of Giza itself.
20 years in the making, the sprawling complex is now home to over 100,000 artefacts dating back across several millenia of Egyptian history – the most famous of course, belonging to King Tutankhamun’s exhibition.
Three of our team – Managing Director Justin, Product Consultant Georgia, and Product and Impact Director Jarrod – have already seen these wonders with their very own eyes. Let them give you the inside scoop on their personal highlights from Cairo’s new Grand Egyptian Museum.
What is the Grand Egyptian Museum?
This vast institution is the world’s largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilisation. With 12 galleries laying out the different periods of Egypt’s storied history in chronological order, visitors can journey from the Old Kingdom right through to the Greco-Roman era.
Justin Recommends
“The centrepiece of the museum is the complete Tutankhamun collection: 5,398 artefacts displayed together for the first time in Gallery 7, a vast 7,500 m² space dedicated entirely to the Boy King. For the first time since Howard Carter’s discovery in 1922, all the “wonderful things” he unearthed are reunited in a single, reimagined exhibition designed to evoke the same sense of astonishment Carter felt upon opening the tomb.
Despite the crowds, the gallery achieves exactly that: pure awe. I could spend a day or two here and still absorb only a fraction of what it holds.
What strikes me most is not the quantity of objects, nor the amount of gold, but the artistry. Although the 14th century BC was not the pinnacle of Egyptian craftsmanship, the quality and beauty of the work are breathtaking – from the 365 shabtis, each a tiny mummiform guardian, to the exquisite jewellery of unimaginable delicacy.”
Georgia Recommends
“18th Dynasty Egypt (1550 -1292 BC, first Dynasty of the New Kingdom) was at its peak with power. It was in this Dynasty that the country witnessed one of my favourite people to study – Queen Hatshepsut – as one of its greatest pharaohs.
Though not the first female ruler, she still had a tough time establishing authority. Queen Hatshepsut wore a fake beard, and called herself King to demand the same respect that people gave men. The majority of her image was vandalized after her death, despite her successful reign which brought peace across Egypt and remarkable wealth through trade.
You can find examples of her monuments and statues in the GEM Museum. The obelisk tip of Queen Hatshepsut can be found on the Grand Staircase, a prominent location. Obelisks in ancient Egypt were sacred monuments carved from a single stone and symbolised a ray of the sun, linking the ruler to the divine. The pyramidion remains at the museum, with the rest of the fallen obelisk laying at Karnak Temple. It originally bore carvings of Hatshepsut making offerings to the god Amun, however, name and image were later reworked by her successor, Thutmose III, in an effort to diminish her legacy and erase her memory.
Yet thousands of years later, we do remember her and what she achieved, despite a King’s efforts to rewrite history to present an unbroken male royal lineage.”
Jarrod Recommends
“The Tutankhamun collection at the GEM is a modern-day wonder. There are moments of banality, such as the display of King Tut’s underpants and moments that are surreal, such as the knife forged from a meteorite, found tucked into the bandages of the young pharaoh’s mummy.
As iconic as Mona Lisa and equally as mesmerising is the collection’s centrepiece, Tutankhamun’s death mask. Over 10 kgs of solid gold, this 3,300-year masterpiece floats majestically in a glass box, masterfully lit to accentuate the detail of the lapis lazuli, turquoise and obsidian inlay. It is a crowd-stopper – or at least it would be, if it were not for the security guards, like modern-day Medjay, keeping everybody moving.
While much of the museum’s impact is down to its impressive scale the most poignant moment is something far more diminutive. In amongst the golden thrones, gilded coffins and canopic chests, lie two small, mummified foetuses; the still-born daughters of Tutankhamun. While much of what is on display feels otherworldly and unrelatable, these tiny, mummified bodies are powerful reminders of the human stories that lie at the heart of Egypt’s history, where love, loss and grief were as much a part of the Pharaohs’ lives as our own.”
Inspired to explore Egypt?
You might come for the Grand Egyptian Museum, but don’t miss out on the many other fascinating sights Egypt has to offer. From the iconic Sphinx and the River Nile, to the lesser-known painted tombs of El Kab and remote temples of Dendera and Amada, our travel experts can guide you to the country’s lesser-known treasures.
Explore our Egypt holiday ideas to discover more about the types of tailor made journeys we can create for you at Steppes Travel. If you already know where you want to go, get in touch with one of our experts to bring your trip to life.
