Every country, nation and civilization in this world has a specific set of historical and cultural heritage which is of great importance to them. Hence, to preserve and protect this heritage, museums are formed. These museums are a great way of sharing historical and cultural knowledge with the outside world.
Having said that, today I am going to take you for a really entertaining, informative and exquisite tour to “THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM” also known as “GEM”. If you are eager to visit Egypt then book your flights through Egypt air online booking.
THE GIZA MUSEUM is situated in the beautiful city of Cairo. The old museum, which was constructed in 1902, located in the Tahrir Square is now just being used as a storehouse for the time being waiting for the antiquities to be moved to the new one, whereupon it will be renovated, while the new one is being constructed at the Giza Plateau.
The construction of this museum started back in 2012 on the 12th of March but the opening has been hurdled multiple times due to one reason or another.
Currently it is almost 95% complete and is set to open fully for visitors as soon as the COVID-19 Pandemic is taken care of, which might be sometime by the end of the current year.
Visit Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Once this new museum is opened for visitors, the old building at Tahrir Square will be renovated to be used as a local museum.
1. WHAT WILL THE GEM LOOK LIKE
It is being built on a slope and bestrides the 162 feet of difference in the levels of the Nile Valley. This difference is between two points, the Nile Valley, where you enter the museum and the Giza Plateau, where the main galleries are situated.
This marvel of the modern world covers a total area of 5.2 million square foot and costs around $1 Billion. At the entry point, a huge statue of Ramses II, weighing around 82 tons and being 3200 years old, welcomes the visitors into the main atrium and from that point forward the grand staircase takes you up to the plateau.
This staircase is being lined up with 87 statues of gods and kings.
a) THE GALLERIES
The main galleries are to the left of the staircase. These galleries are divided into four eras of the Egyptian history:
1. Pre-Dynastic (up to 3100 B.C.) and the old kingdom (pyramid builders). 2. Middle kingdom.
3. New kingdom (the era of Tutankhamun, Ramses and the other pharos). 4. The Greco-Roman (332 B.C. – 395 A.D.).
These four eras are organized in a chronological fashion, rather unlike the old museum. Right at the end of the four galleries is a set of tall glass windows which provide a really wonderful view of the pyramids of Giza.
These galleries will be housing millions of artifacts and antiquities collected, pre-dated and chronologically organized by highly professional curators from different parts of Egypt.
b) THE GRAND STAIRCASE
The right side of the grand staircase is home to the contents of the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Here, for the first time in the history of the world these contents, counted up to 50000 items, are going to be displayed for the whole world.
These contents will be displayed in the exact chronology that “Carter (the explorer who uncovered the tomb)” narrated while finding them. This makes it all the more interesting and cool to visit.
This part of the museum contains a smaller sub-museum for kids. Visual tricks will be used to show the children the past of this historical nation.
c) THE MAIN BUILDING
The main building is shaped like a chamfered triangle. It is located approximately 2 kilometers to the west of the pyramids. The north wall of the building lines up directly with the Great Pyramid of Khufu while the south wall is directly in line with the Pyramid of Menkaure.
A huge park in the shape of a plaza sits at the front and is filled with Date Plants. The stone walls of the building are translucent, made of alabaster.
2. TICKET PRICE
It is expected that the ticket price will be somewhere around $20 to $25 per adult and $10 to $ 12.5 per child (under the age of 7).
3. WHEN TO VISIT THE MUSEUM
The most ideal time to visit the GEM is between the months of September to April. Christmas and New Year is the busiest time in Egypt. This ensures a great crowd of tourists and makes the tour all the more enjoyable.
4. PRESERVATION
A total of 17 high-tech, state-of-the-art labs have also been set up inside this great museum. Hundreds of special, highly qualified and trained curators are being hired to work in these labs.
The only job of these professionals is to keep the relics in the museum in their most preserved and pristine condition so as to avoid damage due to wear and tear or, in some cases, mishandling.
These professionals are also advised to research new methods and technologies that might help them to overcome different problems while handling these millions of artifacts which pre-date to almost 3200 years.
CONCLUSION
After reading this I can be sure that all those who love history and culture, who have an eye for antiquities and who like to keep adding to their memories will be waiting impatiently for the GEM to be opened soon enough for visitors from all around the world.
