Grand new building housing Egyptian artefacts finally opens in Caïro after a two-decade wait

WITH a drone light show depicting ancient gods and pyramids in the sky, Egypt on Saturday inaugurated its long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum — which was designed by Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects.

- BY SAMY MAGDY

Two decades in the making, the museum located near the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx is the centrepiece of the government's bid to boost Egypt's tourism industry and bring cash into the troubled economy.

At the elaborate grand opening ceremony, attended by a number of European and Arab royals and world leaders, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi called on attendees to “make this museum a platform for dialogue, a destination for knowledge, a forum for humanity, and a beacon for all who love life and believe in the value of humankind”.

Known as GEM, it is touted as the world's biggest museum dedicated to a single ancient civilization.

Its large, open halls give space for some 50,000 artefacts on display, along with virtual reality exhibits.

It displays the entire collection of treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamun for the first time since its discovery in 1922.

Construction on the $1 billion project began in 2005 under then-President Hosni Mubarak. But work was interrupted by turmoil surrounding the 2011 uprising that brought down the Egyptian strongman.

Further delays ensued, and a planned grand opening over the summer had to be put off after the 12-day-long war between Israel and Iran erupted in June.