The Grand Egyptian Museum, also known as the Giza Museum, has opened in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after 20 years of construction. This was reported by a Reuters correspondent.
The opening ceremony was attended by African heads of state, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Félix Tshisekedi, as well as prime ministers and members of royal families.
"We all dreamed of this project and its successful realization," stated Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at a press conference.
The Giza Museum features an extensive collection of artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered in 1922. This includes the golden funerary mask of the young pharaoh, his throne, and sarcophagus. The statue of Ramses II, which stood for decades in a central Cairo square, now graces the museum's main entrance.
The museum's construction cost over $1 billion and was primarily financed through Japanese loans. The building was designed by the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects. The completion date was postponed several times due to the Arab Spring, the coronavirus pandemic, and the war in the Gaza Strip.
Initially, the museum was scheduled to open on July 3, but Egyptian authorities postponed the ceremony due to the summer escalation in the Middle East. Although part of the museum's exhibition opened in mid-October, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities closed the institution again later that month to prepare for the official ceremony.
Anna Bespalova
