By Shady Roshdy
Giza,
"There is still no specific information about the opening of the museum, but it is expected to be within five or six months," one of the heads of the museum's information office,
Seif is a guide who takes visitors on limited tours of the complex, including the
As visitors go through the museum's main entrance, they are met with an 83-ton colossus of Ramses II that was moved there from a central square in
Several staircases flanked by statues of pharaohs lead visitors to "12 large galleries that have 46 exhibitions," Seif adds.
At present, no photos or videos are allowed and access to the historical collections will only be launched once the museum has officially opened.
On the right-hand side of the lobby is a cultural area that houses an events space where a theater and a 3D cinema are located, as well as an area for restaurants, cafes and gift shops that are already open.
"Almost all the works on the main building have been completed, but the annex building that will house King Khufu's solar boat is still missing," the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom (2609-2584 BC), who ordered the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The museum has already hosted several high-profile events such as the launch of the Dior x Denim Tears campaign in December.
Mustafa hopes that after the official opening, which will be "extraordinary", he can double his profits due to the vast footfall which organizers say could reach 15,000 a day.
Construction work for the GEM, which will be the largest archaeological museum in the world boasting some 480,000 square meters, started in 2002.
Its building and launch have been delayed over the years due to political instability, such as the Arab Spring in 2010, and economic crises.
In 2016 Egypt was forced to let its currency crash by 48% to the dollar paving the way for an
In
But the museum remained closed. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the global shutdown and economic fallout that ensued.
And as
© 2023 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc., source