The Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, November 4, attracting 40,000 visitors on its first day. The long-anticipated mega museum, unveiled in stages since early 2023, now displays the complete collection of Tutankhamun's artefacts together for the first time since their discovery in 1922.
Among the 5,000 artefacts from Tutankhamun's tomb are full-size chariots, jewellery, furniture, and the golden ceremonial throne, considered one of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship. The museum's Tutankhamun Galleries feature the Pharaoh's gilded wooden shrines, three nested coffins, and the iconic funerary mask made of 10kg of solid gold.
Visitors begin their journey in the central atrium, home to a colossal red granite statue of Ramesses the Great, before ascending the grand staircase representing the steps to eternity. The staircase offers a view of the pyramids, located just 2km away across the Giza sands.
The museum's 12 main galleries chronicle 7,000 years of Egyptian civilisation, including Canopic jars, a mummified crocodile, and statues of King Akhenaten and Queen Hatshepsut. The Greco-Roman gallery features a statue of Alexander the Great.
Tour guide and Egyptologist Shrouk Mamdouh led groups through the exhibits, explaining the significance of each artefact. Despite the crowds, visitors expressed awe at seeing Tutankhamun's treasures up close, though his mummy remains in the Valley of the Kings due to its fragility.
