Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is set to open to visitors from around the world on November 1st, marking the completion of one of the country’s most significant modern achievements.
Designed as a global cultural and entertainment landmark, the museum will house the largest collection dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilization, including the complete treasures of Pharaoh Tutankhamun — displayed together for the first time since his tomb’s discovery in 1922.
The museum also includes children’s and education centers, temporary exhibition halls, cinemas, conference facilities, gardens and retail spaces. It employs the latest digital and conservation technologies to preserve and display more than 100,000 artifacts.
Archaeologist Abdel-Rahim Rihan said the museum will showcase 5,300 items from Tutankhamun’s tomb, among them his gold funerary mask, ceremonial chair and jewelry, displayed across two 7,000-square-meter galleries with immersive virtual presentations. He described the mask as “the most valuable artifact in the world,” symbolizing divine protection and the ancient belief in life after death.
The GEM will also feature the fully restored Khufu funerary boat, transferred from its original pit beside the Great Pyramid, and visitors will be able to watch the live restoration of the second boat over three years. Other highlights include colossal statues of Amenhotep III and Horus, and pieces moved from museums and archaeological sites across Egypt.
Rihan called the museum’s inauguration “the greatest cultural and tourism project in the world,” emphasizing that all its artifacts belong to Egypt’s own heritage. The opening, timed with the start of the tourist season, is expected to boost arrivals by three million, helping Egypt move toward its target of attracting 30 million tourists by 2030.
This museum houses some of the most important and rare treasures on Earth, telling the story of Egypt within a masterpiece of architecture that blends engineering creativity with historical grandeur. Its design is based on the concept of transitioning from the modern world to the world of the Pharaohs, guiding visitors on a journey through Egypt’s ancient history, offering an interactive architectural experience that highlights the distinctiveness and authenticity of Egyptian identity and its magnificence.
The idea of creating the Grand Egyptian Museum dates back to before the new millennium. The project began in the 1990s, and by 2002, the Egyptian government, through the Ministry of Culture and the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, announced an international competition to design a new museum complex that would house the greatest archaeological treasures in Egypt and the world, combining Egyptian identity with modern architectural style and acting as a cultural gateway between modern Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza.
