The Grand Egyptian Museum is without a doubt the most ambitious museum project to be undertaken internationally in the 21st century. Modern architecture and ancient antiquity meet on a scale that is unparalleled in the modern world. If you have never been to Cairo now is the time to go, and if you have, then a very good reason for a second visit.
Plans for the GEM had started out promisingly enough: a worldwide design competition was launched by the government in 2002, followed weeks later by the ceremonial laying of the first foundation stone. An Irish design firm was chosen by 2003, and construction got underway in 2005. And then the world waited as global and local events derailed the ambitious project. First there was the political upheaval of the Arab Spring in 2011, which led to a drawn-out tourism drought. Just as stability and tourists began to return, the pandemic brought the entire world to a halt.
Since 2018, numerous official announcements about the museum’s impending opening have been issued, and every time, the promised timeline came and went. A running joke among Egyptians was that the GEM would open “in November” but which year, no one knew.
The ‘fourth pyramid’
Clad in translucent alabaster and glass with triangular motifs incorporated throughout the design, the GEM has been called the “fourth pyramid.” It was built in alignment with the Pyramids of Giza and the effect is as awe-inspiring as the ancient wonders. The museum, which cost more than 1 billion Euros, spans about 500 000 square meters, the equivalent of 90 football fields—making it the largest of its kind dedicated to a single civilisation in the world with 100 000 ancient artefacts spanning 7 000 years of Egyptian history.
Visitors are greeted by an 11 meters high, 3,200-year-old statue of King Ramses II. From his original position near the Cairo train station, all 75 000 kilograms were transported upright in a specially designed cage to the new site in 2018 with the GEM’s soaring atrium then built around him. Beyond Ramses II, the Grand Staircase, with a moving walkway beside it, invites visitors toward the 12 galleries, with ancient statues and sculptures arranged chronologically on its broad steps, and at the top a giant window looking out at the pyramids. A view to behold…
