Royalty at the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum

Royalty from around the world are leading Heads of State and Dignitaries at the Opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza on November 1st. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), displays tens of thousands of artefacts including the entire 5,000-piece collection of treasures unearthed with Tutankhamun in one place for the first time since the discovery of the tomb back in 1922.

Royal Guests are attending the official opening of the archaeological museum known as the “fourth pyramid” due to its design and proximity to the Giza necropolis. The architectural space will house permanent exhibitions occupying 85,000 square meters, and the entire complex will cover 480,000 square meters. It is designed to receive up to 15,000 visitors daily.

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The opening has been postponed repeatedly due to the difficulty of erecting the building in the desert – in the shadow of the Giza pyramids – and ensuring that there were no relics underneath, a process of removing thousands of tons of sand that took ten years.

Despite this, the Grand Museum has gradually reopened spaces to visitors. Among the highlights is a 12-meter-tall, 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II in the central hall, which has begun a new reign among the most important archaeological pieces from Pharaonic Egypt.

The crown jewel will be the treasure of Tutankhamun, the only pharaoh’s tomb discovered intact. In total, some 5,400 pieces found in the tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 will be on display. All these relics will be shown in a single space divided into galleries that will allow visitors to gain a complete picture of life, suffering, and drama during Tutankhamun’s time. The galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum are interconnected chronologically so that visitors can journey through the entire history of Ancient Egypt.