Grand Egyptian Museum opening update: When will Cairo’s new museum open?
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Cairo — Photo taken in August, 2022
When will the Grand Egyptian Museum Open? Cairo's new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), was supposed to open in November, 2022 in Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. However, there still is no official announcement of the museum's grand opening in 2022, or even 2023. In this post, I will share what we know about when the Grand Egyptian Museum will have its opening ceremonies, whether private tours of the Grand Egyptian Museum are an option, and when I think we might learn more about the opening date for the GEM.
Watch me talk about the Grand Egyptian Museum on YouTube.
What is the Grand Egyptian Museum?
The GEM is a new museum in Giza, Cairo, Egypt. It is still under construction and has not yet opened, but after it has its grand opening, it will house the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world, and will dwarf both the original Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square and the newer National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The GEM will have an amazing assortment of objects, like:
-Tutankhamun’s funerary collection, including the golden funerary mask, arguable the most iconic Egyptian artifact, and one of the most precious pieces of art in the world.
-Khufu’s solar boat, a wooden boat built over 4,000 years ago and unearthed from the sands near the pyramids of Giza.
-A colossal statue of Ramses the Great, just unearthed a few years prior, and never before shown to the public.
-Much, much, more!
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What has the Egyptian Government said about when the GEM will open?
Back in September, 2021, Zahi Hawass, a renowned Egyptian Egyptologist, and Egypt Independent, a reputable media outlet based in Cairo, confirmed the opening date of November 2022. You can read Zahi Hawass’s piece here, and you can check out the article from Egypt Independent here. However, with no official annoucement made yet, it seems like this opening date will be pushed back.
Then, in May of 2022, according to various news outlets, like Egypt Independent, Egypt Today, and Cairo Scene, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities met and talked about the progress of the GEM’s construction and opening. They shared that the GEM’s exterior will be completed by June 30, 2022, and the interior of the museum finished on or before September 30, 2022.
However, again, no official annoucements have been made that these construction milestones have been reached.
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Insider (someone who works at the GEM) perspective
I had the chance to hear from someone who works at the Grand Egyptian Museum, who spoke anonymously to share insider information about the museum’s progress. They said all signs point to the museum not being open at all in 2022, and possibly not even in early 2023. They were not 100% sure about when the museum might open, but said that at this point, they were not even sure the staff within the museum were clear on the GEM’s expected opening date.
Of course, in Egypt, everything can change suddenly, so we can always cross our fingers that Giza’s new museum opens sooner than predicted!
Grand Egyptian Museum Private Tours
I am asked all the time if the GEM has an option for a sneak peek, a soft opening, or a behind-the-scenes guided tour. Unfortunately, these used to be offered, but are no longer an option for travelers wishing to see Cairo’s new museum before it opens. The last time I inquired, the reply I received was that a private tour of the GEM would cost about as much as someone’s entire two-week long trip in Egypt. It would be much better to just come back to Egypt and visit the Grand Egyptian Museum after it’s open, in my opinion.
When will we know the opening date of the GEM?
Despite the opening date still not being officially announced, I have a hunch that we will hear more during an important upcoming milestone. In November, 2022, Egypt will celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Egypt loves to make a lot of fanfare, and there is a large conference of Egyptologists from all over the world convening in Luxor to mark the anniversary.
I think that over the several days of the conference, we might hear an update about the GEM’s projected opening. Why? The Grand Egyptian Museum’s star items will be the entire collection of ancient artifacts found in King Tut’s tomb. In fact, a lot of the objects have already been moved from the original Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, so it would make sense to tie in an announcement about the Grand Egyptian Museum with an event focusing on King Tut.
An older photo of the GEM showing its construction, taken in November 2021
When should I book my trip to Egypt if I want to see the GEM?
I am advising travelers with trips already booked to Egypt to either see about changing the dates of their flights if the GEM is a must for their trip, or cancelling and waiting to book a trip until the museum has been 100% confirmed to be opening. Or, better, yet, wait until the museum has its grand opening, then give it a few months for the hype to die down, and then book a trip to Egypt for the following year, when prices will have probably gone down again.
In the meantime, if you are on my email subscriber list, I will be sending out emails as soon as I hear any updates on the GEM, whether it be private tours, a soft opening, or an official opening: www.tinyurl.com/EATnewsletter
Will you visit Egypt before the GEM opens, or are you waiting for the GEM to open before booking your trip? Let me know your thoughts and questions on the Grand Egyptian Museum by writing a comment below!
