Grand Egyptian Museum Opening July 3!
The Grand Egyptian Museum official opening has been set for July 3! Can we trust this date?
The Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest archaeological museum in the world, has its opening date set for July 3! Or, so they say. Here's what we know about the Grand Egyptian Museum opening and what to expect.
What is the Grand Egyptian Museum?
The Grand Egyptian Museum (shortened to the GEM) is Egypt's newest museum dedicated to the ancient Egyptian civilization, and it joins the Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in preserving and sharing this rich history and culture.
View of the Giza Plateau from the Grand Egyptian Museum
The GEM is in Giza, part of the greater Cairo area, directly across from the Giza Plateau, home of the famous Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. The Grand Egyptian Museum covers a span of 490,000 square metres, making it the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civlization. It has 12 main galleries showcasing artifacts from Egypt's history, from pre-dynastic, through the Old Kingdom, First Intermediate Period, Middle Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, New Kingdom, and all the way through the rule of the Greeks and Romans. The museum will be one of the largest in the Middle East, and will house over 100,000 artifacts when it is completed.
In addition to the main galleries, the GEM has a grand staircase, ascending several stories, lined with colossal statues of pharaohs and structures from enormous temples throughout Egypt, a great hall, showcasing a gargantual statue of the famous pharaoh, Ramses the Great, a retail area that has lots of places to eat, drink, shop, and relax in between seeing the museum's exhibits, and a children's museum for those younger travelers interested in ancient Egypt.
Yet to open at the Grand Egyptian Museum are two big areas: the Tutankhamun Exhibit Hall and the Solar Boat Museum.
King Tutankhamun is one of the most recognized ancient Egyptian pharaohs, because archaeologists discovered his intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings over 100 years ago, yielding over 5,000 priceless artifacts, that reignited the world's interest in Egypt, and captivate thousands of tourists each year who visit Egypt and experience King Tut's tomb and the treasures found within. King Tut has his own exhibit hall at the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will be a big part of the museum's full opening, for sure.
The Solar Boat museum will be the new home for a massive ship built for the pharoah Khufu, the builder of the largest pyramid at the Giza Plateau. This museum will allow visitors to witness the magnifienct wooden boat that was originally discovered in 1,224 pieces, buried next to Khufu's Pyramid. This section fo the Grand Egyptian Museum has been closed until the GEM's official opening.
One of my group tours, in front of Luxor Temple at sunset!
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Grand Egyptian Museum Opening July 3 Announced by GEM CEO
The CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum, Ahmed Ghoneim, appeared on an Egyptian talkshow on January 28th, and shared that the Grand Egyptian Museum would have it's big opening on July 3. You can watch the video interview if you want to practice your Egyptian Arabic, but you can read synpsis of what Mr. Goneim said on news articles published by Egypt Today, Ahram Online, and Enterprise.
The head of the GEM shared that the grand opening would occur on July 3, and that preparations were underway, but didn't offer much more information, other than the opening date.
He also was vague in regards to what the opening would look like, saying:
"We are exploring various options, potentially extending the festivities for several days or even weeks, including holding celebrations internationally."
-GEM CEO Ahmed Ghoneim
So, whatever this means is unclear, but we do know that the opening will be quite the production, because the Grand Egyptian Museum has tapped the prestigious United Media Services Company for the ceremonies, the folks responsible for putting on the extremely successful Royal Mummies Parade (moving 22 royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum to their new home at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization), and also the Avenue of the Sphinxes opening ceremony in Luxor (when they opened a 3,000+ year old avenue connecting Karnak and Luxor Temples, flanked by hundreds of sphinx statues).
Will July 3 be the Grand Egyptian Museum Opening Date
The biggest question is, will July 3 actually be the Grand Egyptian Museum opening date? For now, we are not sure when exactly will be the Grand Egyptian Museum full opening. This is the first time ever that someone working on the GEM has given an exact date for the museum's opening (in the past, it has always been a vague timeframe, like "in the fall", "in 2024", or "in November"), but we have been led on by predictions and timelines for the Grand Egyptian Museum countless times before. The Grand Egyptian Museum official website still does not list the date of the full opening, and there have been no formal press releases, just the GEM CEO's appearance on the Egyptian Talk Show.
I have completely given up stating an exact date for when the Grand Egyptian Museum will have it's official opening, since I used to make predictions in the past, and none of them came true. Then, suddenly, in October 2023 the GEM opened up its 12 Main Galleries without any advance notice. So the Grand Egyptian Museum has set a precedent of defying expectations and being extremely unpredictable in regards to when and how it will open.
Even the GEM's construction was a saga: Egypt announced a competition for the museum's design back in 2002, laid the foundation stone in 2002, chose the firm Heneghan Peng Architects to build the Middle East's largest museum in 2003, and continued on the museum's consturction in fits and starts through today, where some galleries are still being worked on, and the museum's exterior grounds and gardens are currently under construction.
So, mark your calendars for July 3, but don't hold your breath: we are all excited for the Grand Egyptian Museum to have it's full opening, but time will tell if it will happen on July 3.
What is on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Currently at the Grand Egyptian Museum, visitors can experience the Great Hall, the retail area, the Grand Staircase, and the GEM's Main Galleries. You can currently spend a few hours on the GEM complex, since there are thousands of artifacts on display. The only areas that are yet to open are the Tutankhamun Galleries and the Solar Boat Museum.
Check out my YouTube video showing all the places in the GEM that are currently open:
Grand Egyptian Museum Opening Hours
The Grand Egyptian Museum opening hours are from 8:30am - 6:00pm for the complex (the Great Hall and retail areas), and the galleries are open from 9:00am - 5:00pm. If you arrive by 4:00pm you can purchase a ticket to enter the GEM, but they deny entry after 4:00pm. I recommend arriving to the Grand Egyptian Museum and starting at the galleries right away, since they close earlier than the complex, and then finishing the visit shopping and exploring the retail area and the Great Hall (don't forget to take a selfie with Ramses the Great!).
You can purchase Grand Egyptian Museum Tickets at the Grand Egyptian Museum official website.
Grand Egyptian Museum Tickets
The Grand Egyptian Museum official website is the spot to buy tickets if you want to buy Grand Egyptian Museum tickets online, or you can buy tickets on the spot at the GEM. There is no need at this point to buy tickets in advance; tickets are always available and the museum is never too busy, since it is not yet fully open.
The Grand Egyptian Museum offers guided tours with an Egyptologist every day in multiple languages, and you can choose this option when booking a ticket. You can also add on a scavenger hunt experience, which is a good option if you are traveling with kids. And speaking of kids, the GEM has a children's museum which you can purchase access to with a separate ticket.
Grand Egyptian Museum Ticket Price
The Grand Egyptian Museum ticket price varies, but tickets for general admission, self-guided, are currently 1,200 Egyptian Pounds for non-Egyptian adults, or 600 Egyptian Pounds for non-Egyptian youth and students. Children under the age of 6 are free.
Tickets for the Grand Egyptian Museum guided tour are 1,700 Egyptian Pounds for foreign adults, and 850 Egyptian Pounds for children and students, and children under 6 are free. The guided tour will have dozens of tourists, so you also have the option of booking a private tour (check the GEM's webiste for more information).
How to get to the Grand Egyptian Museum
Since the Grand Egyptian Museum is on a road that has heavy construction at the moment due to the museum, developments at the Giza Plateau, and construction of new stations for the Cairo Metro, I recommend visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum with a private driver, or by taking Uber. Once you finish your visit, you can request Uber, or your private transfer will take you to your next destination.
Due to the congestion and speed of traffic on the highway that flanks the GEM's entrance, taking public transportation and walking is not an option.
What questions do you have about the Grand Egyptian Museum? Write a comment and let me know!
