After decades of planning and delays, Egypt is set to open its Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) this Saturday, banking on the colossal cultural institution and its vast collection of ancient artifacts to significantly boost the nation’s vital tourism industry and struggling economy.
The state-of-the-art museum, constructed at a cost exceeding $1 billion, is strategically positioned near the iconic Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo. It is designed to be the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization, housing more than 50,000 ancient relics.
The Egyptian government hopes the GEM will attract a surge of international visitors, generating much-needed foreign currency to revitalize an economy battered by years of unrest and global downturns. Officials project 15,000 to 20,000 daily visitors and aim to increase overall tourist arrivals to 30 million by 2032, up from 15.7 million in 2024.
A centerpiece of the museum is the complete collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures, comprising over 5,000 items. This marks the first time these artifacts will be displayed together since their discovery in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former Minister of Antiquities, described Tutankhamun’s collection as “the heart of this museum.” Highlights include the boy-king’s golden throne, gilded coffins, burial mask, and six ancient chariots. Some items, like the golden mask, underwent extensive restoration after its beard became detached in 2014.
The GEM project is part of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s “mega-projects” initiative. Since 2014, his administration has invested heavily in infrastructure to stimulate economic recovery following prolonged stagnation and the political turmoil of the 2011 Arab Spring.
Construction of the museum began in 2005 but faced a three-year halt due to political instability. Its grand opening has been postponed multiple times, most recently in July because of regional conflicts in the Middle East.
Designed by Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects, the museum features massive triangular glass walls that echo the nearby pyramids. An 11-meter granite statue of Pharaoh Ramses II, over 3,200 years old, stands in the entrance hall after being relocated from central Cairo.
Inside, a vast six-story stone staircase, lined with ancient sculptures, leads to the main exhibition rooms, offering direct views of the Giza Pyramids. The museum also provides a direct pathway to the pyramids, allowing visitors to travel between the sites on foot or via eco-friendly electric vehicles.
The GEM boasts over 24,000 square meters of permanent exhibition space. It also includes a children’s museum, a conference and learning center, commercial areas, and an extensive artifact conservation facility.
Twelve main exhibition zones, which partially opened last year, display artifacts spanning from prehistory to the Roman era, organized by chronological period and thematic narratives. Many of the 50,000-plus artifacts were transferred from the old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, while others were newly excavated from sites like Saqqara.
Another significant exhibit is Pharaoh Khufu’s Solar Boat, a 4,600-year-old wooden vessel over 43 meters long, believed to have been used by the pharaoh in the afterlife. It was meticulously relocated to the new museum in 2021 from its previous location next to the pyramids.