Grand Egyptian Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is a very big museum in Giza, Egypt. It is all about the wonderful history of Ancient Egypt. It is the biggest museum in the world for just one group of people, showing thousands of important things from ancient Egyptian life.

It is close to the famous Giza Pyramid Complex. The GEM has more than 100,000 objects. This includes many things that people have never seen before, like everything that belonged to King Tutankhamun. There are also new shows of treasures from Queen Hetepheres, the mother of King Khufu, and the family of Queen Tiye.

The museum is very large and has many special rooms for different kinds of displays. It was finished in 2023 and opened to everyone on 1 November 2025. It was built by teams from Orascom Construction in Egypt and the BESIX Group from Belgium.

History

The idea for the Grand Egyptian Museum started in the early 1990s. The old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir was old and hard to visit. The government began planning a new museum in 1992 to hold more artifacts and keep ancient treasures safe. Building started in 2005.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi with representatives of foreign countries at the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum

The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum was delayed many times. It was first planned for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. There were more delays because of problems finishing the building and moving artifacts. The museum opened for a trial period in October 2024 and had its official opening on 1 November 2025. Many important leaders from around the world attended the opening ceremony.

Since October 2024, the museum has welcomed many visitors.

Collections and visit

The Grand Egyptian Museum has over 100,000 artifacts in 12 main halls and other spaces. It is a new version of an ancient Egyptian museum.

Grand Hall (Atrium)

Statue of Khafre at the GEM

The Atrium, or Grand Hall, is the main entrance and covers 10,000 square meters. It has a glass roof and clear walls, allowing views of the Giza Pyramids. Inside stands a large statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II, along with many other important artifacts from different times in history. A grand staircase connects the 12 main halls.

Grand Staircase

This staircase is a gallery with over 60 artifacts. It stretches across 6,000 m² (65,000 ft²) and rises six stories tall, linking the main lobby, temporary exhibition halls, and storage areas to an upper terrace with another view of the pyramids.

The sarcophagus of Pharaoh Tutankhamun inside the GEM

Main Galleries

The museum’s exhibits cover about one-third of its 50-hectare grounds and display over 24,000 artifacts in 12 galleries arranged by time period, from around 3100 BCE to 400 CE. Artifacts come from museums and storage places in Cairo, Luxor, Minya, Sohag, Assiut, Beni Suef, Faiyum, the Nile Delta, and Alexandria.

Tutankhamun Halls

The Khufu ship, a full-size solar barque, at the GEM

Two halls show 5,398 artifacts belonging to King Tutankhamun. This is the first time the full collection is shown together. The central piece is the famous golden mask of Tutankhamun. There are three coffins, one made of gold, and many other items such as statues, jewelry, tools, and daily objects. The halls are designed to look like Tutankhamun's original tomb and have systems to protect the artifacts.

Khufu Ships Museum

This hall displays two very old wooden ships from King Khufu, discovered to be around 4,600 years old. An interactive display explains their possible purpose.

Children's Museum

This interactive space for children aged 6 to 12 covers 5,000 square meters. It uses games, screens, and hands-on activities to teach about ancient Egypt, and it has been partially open since August 2024.

Conference Center

The museum’s Conference Center is designed for international meetings about ancient Egyptian culture and archaeology. It includes a main auditorium, seminar halls, exhibition spaces, and a 3D theater.

Temporary Exhibition Halls

Four halls are used for temporary displays of artifacts or international exhibitions, covering 5,000 m² (54,000 ft²).

Conservation Center

The Grand Egyptian Museum has a big Conservation Center. It is one of the largest places in the world for caring for old treasures. It started in 2006 and opened in 2010. This center is west of the main museum and connects to it through a tunnel. Inside, there are labs where experts work on restoring old items, like mummies, wood, stone, wall paintings, and metals. There are also labs for keeping items safe and recording important information. The center has special rooms to store artifacts in perfect conditions.

Design

The Grand Egyptian Museum was chosen through a big contest. Architects Róisín Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng won. Their team made the plans. The building looks like a pointed triangle and is near the pyramids. It has a special entrance with tall statues.

The outside has beautiful decorations with ancient Egyptian writing.

Logo design

In June 2018, the museum showed its new logo. It was designed by Tariq Atrissi.

Management

The Grand Egyptian Museum has a special group of leaders to help it run. This group includes a Board of Trustees, a Board of Directors, and a Museum CEO with vice presidents.

The Board of Trustees is like a guiding team. They make sure the museum’s plans and rules are good. This board has 16 members who work together for three years. The President of Egypt decides who is on this board and how they will do their job.

Events

The museum has hosted many artistic and cultural events since it opened. On 20 January 2023, the first musical concert was performed there by Egyptian soprano Fatma Said with the United Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, led by conductor Nader Abbassi.