Egypt opens grand museum near pyramids

Egypt officially opened on Saturday the Grand Egyptian Museum, a long-awaited, billion-dollar showcase of pharaonic grandeur that Cairo hopes will revive tourism and boost its battered economy.

- 

People walk in the grounds of the Grand Egyptian Museum, with the Great Pyramid visible (centre), prior to it's opening in Giza, on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo on November 1, 2025. — AFP

(AFP)

"Today, as we celebrate together the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, we are writing a new chapter in the history of the present and the future," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi told a gathering of dignitaries, sitting in the museum's square.

Spanning half a million square metres, the museum houses around 100,000 artefacts - half of them on display - dating back more than six millennia.

The audience at the opening watched a display of lights and music, with the pyramids towering in front of them. Dozens of performers dressed in elaborate Pharaonic costumes played traditional tunes as a laser show depicting pharaohs and fireworks lit up the night sky above the museum.

On giant screens above, scenes from celebrations in Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro played out against the backdrop of Egypt's ancient monuments. "It is a living testimony to the genius of the Egyptian human," Sisi said, referring to the new institution.