The Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Will be a King Tut Treasure Trove

Cairo is gearing up to welcome its latest addition, the Grand Egyptian Museum, in 2013. This spectacularly modern complex stands in stark contrast to the millennia of history perched on its back doorstep, in the shape of the Pyramids of Giza. But can its collections and exhibits provide a comprehensive Egyptian experience worthy of the country’s capital?

A Style is Born

The race to design the museum’s building began in 2002, and was the world’s largest architectural competition, encompassing 1557 entries from 82 countries. The competition was won in 2003 by the Dublin-based firm Heneghan Peng, who drew up their plans with just five members of staff. Nevertheless, the $250,000 prize was theirs, and the plans for the giant complex would be drawn up straight away.

The museum itself comprises several elements, which in total take up around 84,000sq m of land just 2km from the Giza necropolis. There are exhibition halls, a grand staircase entrance, a conference centre, an education area, a conservation area – to restore a myriad ancient artefacts – restaurants and cafes, and a green landscape which envelopes most of the development.

Rather than sprouting from the desert floor like its illustrious neighbours, the GEM’s matrix sinks into the sand. Its translucent alabaster front wall provides a mirror to the past, while the black roof echoes Egypt’s history as a prosperous oasis in north Africa, the fertile land of the black country. The museum’s north and south walls line up directly with the pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure, and a pyramid viewpoint will allow visitors the chance to catch the great wonders in their element from the modernity of the GEM’s park.

Yasser Mansour, the project’s coordinator, has grandly stated that the GEM, “will create a new experience for Cairo and a new type of museum for the world, one which will become a main node in a global network of museums of Egyptology and will relocate the cultural and intellectual issues of ancient Egypt to the land of their origin." And with an estimated 3 million visitors per year, not many would disagree with his grandeur.

The Treasures Within

Obviously, for such a prestigious complex as the GEM, a comprehensive collection of treasures from ancient Egypt is the most essential component. And the brains behind the museum’s acquisitions believe they have gathered the greatest cache of Egyptian artefacts ever seen. As the visitor walks in through the gigantic translucent wall, they will be greeted with the grand staircase - a giant walkway mirroring the grand steps of antiquity, lined with pharaonic statues.

The standout monument which greets visitors, however, will surely be the 3,200 year-old statue of Ramesses II, which was relocated from its longstanding home of Ramses Square. The subsequent permanent galleries will display around 100,000 artefacts chronicling ancient Egypt through five main areas of ancient Egyptian life: The Land of Egypt; Kingship and State; Man, Society and Work; Religion and Culture; and Scribes and Knowledge.

However, for most visitors, the highlight of the tour will be the collection of Tutankhamun – approached via a suspended bridge over the tomb – which will show over 3,500 artefacts from the child king’s tomb, including artefacts unearthed by the British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

However, there will always be dissenting voices about the number of prestigious items missing from the museum’s collection, such as the Rosetta Stone, or the famous Bust of Nefertiti, which are housed in London and Berlin respectively. In fact, as outspoken as Egypt has been for the return of its most treasured possessions, it has had little in the way of positive replies from the world’s various Egyptology museums, with regards to blockbusting items.

‘The Fourth Pyramid’

Still, issues of repatriation regarding certain treasures aside, the Grand Egyptian Museum promises to be one of the one of the most important musuems not just of Egyptology, but of the world. The massive complex nods firmly in the pyramids’ direction, and its unique styling takes a peek at Egypt’s past and its future. Yet there can be no doubt that with well over 100,000 artefacts headed by the tomb of King Tut, the GEM will be able to take a bow all of its own making when it opens. Looking at it, there's no wonder many are already calling it Giza's fourth pyramid.

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About The Author

Sean Williams

Last three pieces by this author:

Join Heritage Key Live from Stonehenge Spring Equinox | Celebrate St. Patrick's by Visiting Loughcrew for Spring Equinox | What can you Expect from Stonehenge Spring Equinox 2010?

Sean is an English Literature graduate, who currently works as a writer and journalist in London. He enjoys ancient history, theatre and sport. He does not enjoy Big Brother.