Today we would have the opportunity to explore the new Grand Egyptian Museum located just outside the city of Cairo on the Giza Plateau. For more than a century, the Pyramids and the old Egyptian Museum had been about a 45-minute drive from one another. This new crown jewel of Egypt is now located a short 2km from the Pyramids and is one of the largest, most modern, and most renowned museums in the world. You can also see the Pyramids through the main gallery windows...
Today we would get to meet our Trafalgar tour guide and some of the members of our group! This was another pre-tour optional excursion that was offered to those of us who arrived early. Were we really looking forward to a day at the Egyptian museums? We've learned that museums can be hit-or-miss depending upon your interests and how interactive some of the exhibits are. While this museum is quite impressive.....it did suffer from a few misses. Although this museum has been open for tours since October 2024, it has not "officially" opened. The Grand Hall, Grand Staircase, commercial area, 12 public galleries and the exterior gardens are currently open for tours, but the official Grand Opening is scheduled for late 2025. Pending the official grand opening, the museum will feature 5,000 objects recovered from King Tut's tomb that are currently missing as exhibits in the museum. It will also display the massive 4,600 year old King Khufu's Solar Boat - the world's oldest intact ship - which is currently another miss for us!
Needless to say.....even without those Grand Opening artifacts this museum definitely earns the right to be called the Grand Egyptian Museum. The main entrance houses an enormous 3,200 year old statue of King Ramses II, and when all the exhibits are officially open to the public it will house over 100,000 ancient artifacts. I was most impressed with the Grand Staircase. The sculptures of the Grand Staircase are broadly themed around Kingship, beginning with various royal statues at the bottom, followed by sculptures showing the relationship between the King and the gods, and ending with those relating to the royal afterlife. Can you say SARCOPHAGUS?
If you're interested in this stuff....you certainly have my permission to do your own research and learn more about these relics on display at the museum. My eyes started glazing over after about 30 minutes in this place and I was ready to turn off my whisper (tour guide audio system) even before that! At some point all of the historical information and ancient artifacts start to make you dizzy.
Of course.....we knew this trip to Egypt was going to be a lot of ancient history, pharaohs, kings (and queens!), tombs, temples and lots of museum artifacts. We just have to somehow figure out how to avoid becoming too overwhelmed with everything because we're only on day 2 of our 12 day trip!
Jenesa was actually looking forward to our next museum stop! Located in Old Cairo, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) showcases 20 royal mummies.
This museum incorporates the array of different civilizations that contributed to Egypt's rich and diverse history. The exhibitions begin with the predynastic period, followed by the Roman and Coptic periods, until modern day Egypt. Not nearly as impressive as our first museum stop today, but after viewing many of the main gallery artifacts we had our chance to visit The Royal Mummies Hall.
The lower level of the museum was designed to give the visitor the feeling of strolling down the Valley of Kings, where most of these mummies were originally resting. On display are the mummies of 17 ancient Kings and 3 Queens. Egyptian embalmers were so skilled that people mummified 4,000 years ago still have skin, hair, and recognizable features such as scars and tattoos.
That's a wrap.....of our day at the Egyptian museums!
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