Overview of the Grand Egyptian Museum
Size and scope of the Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum is a monumental project situated in Giza, approximately 2 kilometres from the Great Pyramid. Envisioned as Egypt’s flagship cultural institution for the 21st century, the museum spans an impressive 81,000 square metres of exhibition space. It will showcase over 100,000 ancient artefacts making it the richest collection of Egyptian antiquities ever assembled.
Tutankhamun treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Among these treasures is the complete hoard from Tutankhamun’s tomb – a highlight that alone draws millions of visitors to Egypt. Many objects in the GEM are displayed publicly for the first time, giving visitors a unique chance to see items that were previously kept in storage or excavated recently.
How the Grand Egyptian Museum complements Tahrir Square
Overlooking the Giza pyramids – part of the Memphis and its Necropolis UNESCO World Heritage Site – the museum’s location symbolically bridges Egypt’s past and present…. This close proximity means travellers can easily combine a trip to the pyramids and the museum in one outing, immersing themselves in Egypt’s ancient wonders both in situ and in a modern exhibit setting. The GEM is designed to both complement and eventually relieve the famous Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which opened in 1902. While the old museum in downtown Cairo will remain a cherished site (perhaps focusing on different collections or special exhibitions), the Grand Egyptian Museum now takes centre stage as the primary home for Egypt’s antiquities, presented with cutting-edge curation and technology.
Phased opening timeline of the Grand Egyptian Museum
Though the museum’s grand opening has been long awaited, with initial plans to open in the 2010s, it has finally begun welcoming visitors in phases. A partial opening in late 2023 allowed small group previews of select galleries, and a full official opening on 6th July 2025. As of now, key areas like the Grand Hall, some main galleries, and public spaces are accessible, with the remaining exhibits (including the dedicated Tutankhamun gallery and the Solar Boat display) set to open soon. This phased approach ensures that visitors can start experiencing the museum’s wonders even as final preparations are made for the complete exhibition rollout. The excitement around the GEM’s opening is palpable – it truly represents a new era for Egyptian museology and tourism.
History and Development
Conceiving a modern museum
The story of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s development is as epic as the treasures it will hold. The concept was born in the early 2000s when Egypt recognised the need for a modern facility to preserve and display its vast collection of antiquities. The existing Egyptian Museum in central Cairo was overflowing with artefacts, and a new space was envisioned to properly showcase Egypt’s heritage with modern conservation standards.
An international design competition
An international architectural competition was launched in 2002 to find a visionary design for this ambitious project. Out of over 1,500 entries worldwide, the winning design was submitted by Heneghan Peng Architects, an Irish firm led by Róisín Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng. Their proposal, a blend of contemporary design and symbolic elements echoing Egyptian history, won the top prize and set the stage for a museum like no other.
Building the Grand Egyptian Museum on the Giza Plateau
Construction of the GEM began in 2006 on a site covering nearly 50 hectares (120 acres) of land just outside Cairo. This location was carefully chosen: perched on a plateau at the edge of the desert, the site offers clear views of the pyramids of Giza. The foundation stone was laid with much fanfare, and the project received significant international support, including financial assistance from Japan. However, the journey was not without challenges.
Grand Egyptian Museum delays and milestones
Economic fluctuations and the global pandemic in 2020 caused several delays in the construction timeline. Originally slated to open by 2012, the museum’s completion had to be postponed multiple times. Despite these setbacks, work on the museum pressed on, and each delay allowed for further refinement of its exhibits and facilities. By 2018, major construction milestones were achieved, including the installation of the monumental Ramesses II statue in the Grand Hall. By 2021, attention turned to carefully moving precious artefacts, like King Khufu’s 4,500-year-old solar boat, to their new home at the GEM.
Soft openings and the road to 2025
In late 2022 and early 2023, the museum began hosting special events and limited tours, signalling that the finish line was in sight. A soft opening in early 2023 offered a glimpse into the museum’s potential, and by October 2024, twelve main galleries were opened to the public as part of a trial run. Enthusiastic visitors have since been able to wander parts of the museum on guided tours, even as final touches continue behind the scenes. The grand inauguration in July 2025, marks the official completion of this decades-long project. The evolution of the Grand Egyptian Museum stands as a testament to Egypt’s commitment to celebrating and preserving its history for future generations.
Architecture and Design
Desert-edge setting of the Grand Egyptian Museum
The architecture of the Grand Egyptian Museum is an attraction in itself. Heneghan Peng’s design seamlessly blends modern aesthetics with nods to ancient Egyptian geometry.
Alabaster façade and pyramid geometry at the Grand Egyptian Museum
The building’s facade features a vast translucent wall of alabaster,an Egyptian stone historically used in pharaonic tombs, which creates a stunning visual effect at different times of day. This translucent frontage faces toward the pyramids, and at sunset, the effect is particularly breathtaking: the museum’s front can glow warmly as the sun descends behind the Giza pyramids, creating a picturesque scene where ancient and modern Egypt converge.
One of the defining structural motifs of the museum is the use of triangular forms. The architects incorporated triangular geometry throughout the design, from the exterior profile to interior patterns, echoing the shape of the pyramids in a subtle, abstract way. The structure is built into the natural slope of the site. Visitors entering the museum descend a broad esplanade that leads into the Grand Hall, a cavernous entrance atrium.
Grand Hall and staircase at the GEM
Here, they are greeted by the colossal 11-metre tall statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II, which weighs over 80 tonnes. This granite statue, which once stood in Cairo’s Ramses Square, was carefully relocated to the GEM and now stands proudly as a sentinel welcoming guests.
From the Grand Hall, a majestic staircase known as the Grand Staircase ascends through the heart of the building. Flanking this staircase is a display of dozens of monumental statues and artefacts from different eras of ancient Egypt, effectively an awe-inspiring preview of the museum’s collection. As you climb the stairs, you not only journey upward physically but also travel through Egypt’s historical timeline, with the statues seemingly guiding you to the main galleries above.
Light, materials and ambience at the GEM
Natural light filters in through strategic openings and the alabaster panels, illuminating the path in a way that feels both airy and reverent.
Behind the scenes: labs and amenities
Beyond aesthetics, the design is highly functional and future-focused. The museum complex includes modern laboratories and conservation facilities, a conference centre, educational spaces like a children’s museum, and ample visitor amenities (from cafes and restaurants to shops). Everything is climate-controlled and built to international museum standards, ensuring the preservation of even the most fragile papyri or textiles on display. In sum, the GEM’s architecture provides a world-class stage for Egypt’s antiquities – it’s grand and impressive without overshadowing the artefacts, and ingeniously references Egypt’s past while employing the best of today’s engineering and design.
Collections and Exhibits
The true stars of the Grand Egyptian Museum are the tens of thousands of artefacts that it houses. The collection spans the entirety of Egyptian civilisation, from prehistoric times through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, and into the Greco-Roman era. Visitors will traverse a chronological journey of Egypt’s history across the museum’s galleries, encountering everything from primitive rock carvings and the earliest pottery to the opulent riches of Egypt’s golden age. The exhibits are thoughtfully curated to provide context and storytelling; rather than just displaying artefacts, the museum uses modern exhibition techniques – interactive displays, multimedia, and reconstructions – to immerse visitors in the world of the ancient Egyptians.
The Treasures of Tutankhamun
No visit to the GEM would be complete without marvelling at the Tutankhamun collection. The Grand Egyptian Museum will exhibit the full collection of treasures from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in its own dedicated set of galleries.
Over 5,000 items were recovered from the young king’s tomb in 1922, and for the first time ever, all of these will be on display together. In the old Cairo museum, only a selection of Tutankhamun’s treasures – like the famous golden mask – could be shown due to space constraints. At the GEM, you’ll be able to walk through an extensive exhibit that showcases everything from the pharaoh’s exquisite jewellery, gilded furniture, and ceremonial chariots to the delicate alabaster perfume jars and textile gloves that survived over 3,300 years in the tomb. Seeing the golden death mask of Tutankhamun up close, with its intricate inlay of lapis lazuli and quartz, is a breathtaking experience.
Beyond the iconic mask, the GEM provides context to Tutankhamun’s life and death, arranging objects in a way that tells the story of his reign and the burial rituals that preserved these items. Many pieces that have never been seen by the public, such as fragile fabrics, wooden panels, and personal objects, are prepared for display with advanced conservation techniques. This comprehensive look at Tutankhamun’s world is poised to be one of the museum’s biggest draws, giving visitors insight into royal life in Egypt’s 18th Dynasty.
Ancient Egypt’s Greatest Artefacts
Royal statues and stelae at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Beyond Tutankhamun, the Grand Egyptian Museum’s galleries are overflowing with other wonders. As you explore, you’ll encounter giant statues of pharaohs and gods, intricate coffins and mummies of nobles, towering stelae carved with hieroglyphs, and countless small yet significant objects that illuminate daily life in ancient times.
Must-see highlights at the GEM
Some anticipated highlights include the massive granite statue trio of Ramses II and his queen Nefertari, beautifully painted sarcophagi from the Valley of the Kings, and the Narmer Palette (an artefact that records the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 BC). The museum also features the famed colossal statue of King Amenhotep III and an array of statues representing Egyptian deities like Sekhmet (the lioness goddess), which once stood in their temples.
Objects of daily life in the GEM
The museum’s collection of artefacts is not limited to stone and gold; it also preserves organic materials that rarely survive millennia. For instance, visitors can admire ancient papyrus scrolls with intact writings, including segments of the Book of the Dead, as well as everyday objects like furniture from tombs, clay vessels, and woven baskets that tell the story of ordinary people.
The solar barque of Khufu
An entire gallery is devoted to the solar barque of Pharaoh Khufu – a full-sized cedar wood ship that was buried near the Great Pyramid and excavated in the 1950s. This ship, often called the “Solar Boat”, has been painstakingly restored and reassembled inside the museum, allowing you to stand in awe of a vessel that carried the pharaoh’s soul in the afterlife. Seeing this 43-metre long boat up close in a controlled environment is an unforgettable experience; it’s astonishing to think it survived intact for over four and a half millennia.
Interactive displays and VR
Thanks to modern display technology, many exhibits are brought to life in engaging ways. Interactive touchscreens and holographic projections help decode the hieroglyphs and artistic scenes on artefacts. For example, standing before a large wall carving, you might use a display to highlight and translate each hieroglyph, or to see colours reconstructed onto a now-faded relief. There are also replica touchable items and virtual reality stations for deeper exploration – imagine donning a VR headset to tour a 3D recreation of a tomb or watch a simulation of how a statue was carved from a quarry. These elements make the GEM experience as educational as it is visually impressive, catering to all ages and levels of interest. Whether you are a seasoned Egyptologist or a casual tourist, the breadth and presentation of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s exhibits ensure that you will leave with a deeper appreciation for Egypt’s ancient civilisation.
Visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum
Getting to the Grand Egyptian Museum
Practical information is key to making the most of your visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Firstly, note that the museum is located in Giza, on the western edge of the Greater Cairo area. If you’re staying in downtown Cairo or near the pyramids, reaching the museum is straightforward by road, roughly a 30-40 minute drive from central Cairo (traffic permitting). Many visitors pair a morning at the Giza Pyramids with an afternoon at the museum (or vice versa), given their close proximity. Classic Holidays can arrange comfortable transport and expert guides to facilitate this combined experience, ensuring you don’t have to worry about the logistics or timing.
Opening hours and how long to spend
The museum is expected to operate daily, with opening hours likely from morning through early evening (for example, 9:00 AM to 5:00 or 6:00 PM, though exact hours will be confirmed closer to the full opening). It’s wise to allocate a good amount of time for your visit – the GEM is enormous, and to truly appreciate the collections you might need at least half a day. If you are particularly keen on Egyptology, you could even spend a full day inside and not see everything.
Accessibility and comfort
Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking a lot within the galleries and grounds. The complex has been designed to be fully accessible, with lifts, ramps, and facilities for visitors with mobility needs.
Tickets and timed entry for the Grand Egyptian Museum
Ticketing for the Grand Egyptian Museum will likely follow a timed entry system, especially in the initial months of opening, to manage the flow of visitors. We recommend securing your tickets in advance once they become available, as demand to see this long-awaited attraction will be very high. When you travel with Classic Holidays, our team will handle ticket arrangements for you as part of your tour package or excursion, sparing you the hassle. We ensure that you have a confirmed entry slot so you can focus on enjoying the experience.
Facilities at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Inside the museum, you’ll find amenities to enhance your visit: clean rest areas, cafes and restaurants for meal breaks, and gift shops selling quality souvenirs, books, and replicas. Imagine sipping a coffee on a terrace with the pyramids in the distance – the museum’s setting makes that possible.
Photography tips
Photography is expected to be allowed in most sections of the museum (without flash, to protect the artefacts). There may be some galleries or special exhibitions where photography is restricted, so be mindful of signage. Given the museum’s size, it’s a good idea to grab a map or use the official museum app (if available) to navigate to exhibits of interest.
Guided tours and hydration
You can join guided tours provided on-site, but if you’re with a Classic Holidays group, you’ll have your own Egyptologist guide giving you personal insights. Lastly, remember that the GEM’s climate-controlled environment will be a respite from Cairo’s outdoor heat, but it’s still smart to carry water and stay hydrated. Visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum is a comfortable and enriching experience – a highlight of any trip to Cairo.
Experience the Grand Egyptian Museum with Classic Holidays
Why travel with Classic Holidays?
As Egypt travel specialists, Classic Holidays is proud to offer a range of tours that include the Grand Egyptian Museum as a featured highlight. We recognise that many travellers have been eagerly awaiting the chance to visit the GEM, and we ensure you can do so seamlessly as part of an expertly crafted itinerary. Our Egypt tour packages combine the best historical sites, a relaxing Nile cruise, and now this state-of-the-art museum experience – all with the quality and convenience that our company is known for.
Itineraries featuring the Grand Egyptian Museum
Here are some of our popular tour itineraries that incorporate a visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum:
- Classic Egypt Tour – A comprehensive 10-night journey featuring Cairo, a luxurious Nile cruise, and guided excursions. This tour includes time in Cairo to explore the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum with our expert Egyptologist, giving you a balanced taste of Egypt’s ancient wonders.
- Treasures of Egypt Tour – A two-week adventure that not only covers Cairo and a Nile cruise but also adds a relaxing Red Sea resort stay. You’ll start in Cairo, where we take you to the GEM to witness Tutankhamun’s treasures before you embark on a scenic cruise down the Nile to see Luxor, Aswan, and more.
- Ancient Egypt Tour – This 14-night itinerary dives deep into Egypt’s historical sites. It features multiple nights in Cairo (with a full-day guided visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum and other Cairo highlights), a Nile cruise, and extended stays either in Luxor or by the Red Sea, tailored to your interests.
- Wonders of Egypt Tour – A perfect option for those with limited time, this 9-night tour focuses on the essentials. It includes a Cairo stay where you’ll see the pyramids and the GEM, followed by a 7-night Nile cruise. It’s an efficient yet enriching way to experience Egypt’s top sights, museum included.
Expert Egyptologist guides
On all Classic Holidays tours, we provide knowledgeable, PhD-qualified Egyptologist guides to accompany you through sites like the Grand Egyptian Museum. This means you’ll gain deeper insights as you stand before each artefact – the story behind a statue, the symbolism of a pharaoh’s regalia, or the significance of a papyrus text will all be explained in vivid detail. We also handle all the arrangements such as museum entry tickets and transportation, so you can enjoy a hassle-free visit.
Add-on excursion options
If you’re travelling with us on a custom itinerary or a package that doesn’t already include the GEM, you can easily add it on. We offer a dedicated CT10 excursion – a full-day Cairo tour that typically covers the Pyramids, Sphinx, and now the Grand Egyptian Museum – as an optional add-on. This guided excursion ensures you won’t miss out on the GEM even if your main tour focuses elsewhere. It’s ideal for travellers who have a free day in Cairo and want a professionally guided museum experience.
Plan your journey
With Classic Holidays, visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum is not only inspiring but also convenient and enriching. As the UK’s leading Nile cruise and Egypt tour specialists, we have the experience and local expertise to craft an itinerary that maximises your time at the GEM and throughout your Egyptian adventure. The opening of this museum is a once-in-a-lifetime event – let us help you be among the first to witness Egypt’s ancient treasures in their stunning new home.
