Will Cairo’s New Grand Egyptian Museum have its Opening in November, 2022?
NOTE: THIS BLOG IS OUTDATED—TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST ON THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OPENING, VISIT THIS BLOG POST: https://www.egyptadventurestravel.com/blog/grand-egyptian-museum-opening-date-when-will-cairos-new-museum-open
The Grand Egyptian Museum has been under construction for several years and is in Giza, next to the famous Pyramids of the Giza Plateau.
Since the fall of 2021, different authorities in Egypt have been announcing that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Cairo’s ambitious new gargantuan archaeological museum, will be opening in November of 2022. The GEM has already been delayed numerous times, and it seems like the museum is still not on track to be ready in time for the fall. Will it really open in November? Here’s what I think, based on what we know so far.
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The Latest Announcements
According to various news outlets, like Egypt Independent, Egypt Today, and Cairo Scene, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities met in mid-May, 2022, 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.
Then on Sunday, July 24, 2022, the head of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities toured the Grand Egyptian Museum (source), looking at various galleries, and just a few days earlier, held a meeting to review the museum’s website (source).
When will the Grand Egyptian Museum Open?
Despite consistent write-ups in the press, and tons of international excitement and pressure to open up as soon as possible, I am beginning to be skeptical that the Grand Egyptian Museum will be open in November, like what was originally announced last year. Here’s why.
No follow-up on construction completion: If Egypt announced that the museum’s exterior would be finished by the end of June, why have we not heard an official statement saying that the construction has been completed?
Egypt wants the GEM’s opening to be an international spectacle: Egypt has made it clear that they want the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum to be an international event, which is going to require planning and advanced notice. Since we are fewer than three months away from the anticipated opening date, but the date still has not officially been announced, how can they ensure the opening will garner the attention they want?
We have not heard about the movement of the Tutankhamun Mask: All of the Tutankhamun collection will be moved to the GEM, with much of it already there, but King Tut’s famous golden funerary mask is still in the original Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. I am guessing when the time comes to move the mask, they will do something as grandiose as the Phraroah’s Golden Parade (this happened in March 2021 to move 22 royal mummies from the Tahrir Square museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization). We still have not heard when this event will be, however.
A look at the progress of the GEM’s exterior construction in the fall of 2021.
What I think
Considering Egypt’s notorious failure to meet deadlines, combined with the factors enumerated above, I think that the Grand Egyptian Museum will not open in November. I would love to be wrong, and to have the GEM open as soon as possible, but I am leaning toward an opening in early 2023.
Egypt is hosting an international conference in early November to talk about King Tutankhamun on the 100th year anniversary of the discovery of his tomb in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, and this is when I envision Egypt will move the final objects of the King Tut collection from the original Egyptian Museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum, and also when they will announce the official opening date of the GEM. Since the conference is in November, I anticipate the GEM’s opening to be announced as being in early 2023, possibly in January or February. Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for all Muslims, will happen in April, 2023, so I am guessing the GEM’s opening will happen before the start of Ramadan, when life in Egypt slows way down as the majority of its population refrains from eating or drinking anything until sundown for 30 days. So, sometime between January-March 2023 is when I see the GEM opening. But of course, the earlier the GEM opens, the better! The tourism industry and travelers wanting to experience Egypt are all holding our breath.
Tutankhamun’s golden funerary mask will be one of the GEM’s most prized pieces.
Something to keep in mind…
I, along with every other traveler to Egypt, would love for the GEM to be open ASAP before my next trip to Egypt. That being said, Egypt is an amazing country filled with thousands of artifacts, ruins, temples, pyramids, tombs, and more to explore. Do not let the opening of the GEM make or break your Egypt Adventure! And hey, if you go to Egypt in 2022 and the GEM opens after your return, you can always go back. Egypt will be waiting.
