Egyptian museum later opens: Security situation forces to shift!
Egyptian museum later opens: Security situation forces to shift!
Fustat – Ain El-Sira, Kairo, Ägypten - The opening of the Great Egyptian Museum (Gem) in Cairo is postponed. The big day was originally scheduled for July 3, 2025, but due to the tense security situation in the Middle East, the ceremony must now be moved to the last quarter of 2025. This was announced by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly. The reason for this decision is the imponderables caused by the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, which is why the organizers want to create an “appropriate environment” for the celebrations. A new opening date will be announced shortly. During this phase, the museum remains open to visitors, and large parts have been accessible since last year.
The story of the Gem goes back to the 90s when the project was first announced. The laying of the foundation stone took place in 2002, and the construction work dragged on until 2012. With an area that corresponds to around 70 soccer fields, this is considered the largest museum in the world that is dedicated to a single civilization and has an impressive collection of 100,000 artifacts that represent the history of Egypt in a unique way. This variety of exhibits also includes the famous golden mask of deaths from Tutankhamun, which is one of the highlights of Egyptian antiques.
The National Museum of Egyptian civilization
The "Mummies Hall", which houses 22 royal mummies of pharaons and queens, is particularly important, including famous rulers such as Ramses II and Hatshepsut. The exhibition extends over an area of 40,000 m² and presents around 50,000 artifacts that illustrate the legacy of Egypt.
- Opening times: Saturday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Tickets cost 240 Egyptian pounds (approx. 9 euros) and can be booked online.
- Address: Fustat-Ain el-Sira, Cairo.
a cultural axis
The NMEC and the Great Egyptian Museum together form a central cultural axis that represents Egyptian history in all its facets. Objects from the original Egyptian Museum on Tahrir-Platz and other artifacts from all over Egypt are gradually moved to the new museums. The NMEC not only offers a chronological exhibition, but also thematic areas that illuminate various aspects of civilization.
The museum is easy to reach, but only by taxi, whereby the costs of different points vary in Cairo. A trip from Tahrir-Platz costs about 90 euros for Uber or hardly under 100 euros for classic taxis. Travelers can also look forward to direct flight connections from Vienna to Cairo with Austrian Airlines and Egypt Air, who take around 3.5 hours.
Although the opening of the Gem was postponed, the fascination for Egypt's cultural heritage remains unbroken. The two museums are ready to bring visitors closer to the impressive history of this fascinating country. It all remains to be seen when the longed -for celebrations for the opening of the Great Egyptian Museum will finally take place.
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| Ort | Fustat – Ain El-Sira, Kairo, Ägypten |
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