The Grand Egyptian Museum, a $1 billion complex dedicated to the history of a single civilization, is set to open on Saturday near Cairo. The museum is situated one kilometer from the Giza Pyramids and spans an area of 470,000 square meters.
The project was announced in 1992, but construction did not begin until 2005. During the two-decade construction period, the opening was repeatedly postponed, most recently in July, due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The museum will house more than 50,000 exhibits, including the 83-ton, 3,200-year-old stele of Ramses II and a 4,500-year-old boat belonging to Pharaoh Khufu, who is credited with building the pyramids. Many of the objects were moved from the old museum in Tahrir Square, which has been open for about a century, while others were recently discovered in the Saqqara tombs.
The museum includes 24,000 square meters of exhibition space, a children's museum, conference halls, a shopping area, and a restoration center. The 12 main halls, which opened last year, display exhibits from prehistoric times to the Roman era.
World leaders and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will attend the opening ceremony. A new pedestrian path leads from the pyramids to the museum.
Egypt, Africa's second-largest economy, expects the museum to continue to boost tourism. The country welcomed a record 15.7 million visitors in 2024, and the government aims to double that number by 2032. Museum administrators expect 15,000 to 20,000 visitors a day.
