The Grand Egyptian Museum "GEM"
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| Grand Egyptian Museum |
The Grand Egyptian Museum "GEM" is located to the west of Cairo,
near the Pyramids of Giza, and this site was chosen to be this huge project as a testament to Egypt's greatness in the past, present and
future, The museum was designed to be the largest antiquities museum in
the world. With an area of 117 acres of 500,000 meters, it will contain
more than 100,000 artefacts from the Pharaonic, Greek, and Roman eras, and
more than 5 million visitors are expected annually, the museum will
include several commercial and recreational service buildings, a
centre for ancient materials science and restoration, and a museum garden
that will be cultivated It has trees that the ancient Egyptian knew. The $
550 million projects are being implemented in three main phases.
During the year 2010 AD, the second phase of the project was opened, which includes a
restoration centre that includes several testing and analysis
laboratories such as microbiological and scanning electronic microscopy
laboratories, in addition to maintenance and restoration laboratories such
as the mummy maintenance lab, timber factory, stone factory, and ceramic,
glass and metal laboratory. The stage will include The last - which is the
stage currently being implemented - the establishment of museum galleries,
the Museum of Learners, the Convention and Cinema Center, the
Archaeological Library, and the Children's Museum, and the first stage of
which will be opened by displaying the holdings of King Tutankhamun so
that the final opening of the project will take place in Spring 2024.
GEM Landscape Plan
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| Grand Egyptian Museum - Master Plan |
The functional areas and spatial sectors for GEM have been identified concerning the various activities corresponding to the requirements of users and staff, and to fulfil the project's objectives. The total area of the development (indoor-outdoor) is estimated to cover
480,000 square meters.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is a complex of buildings and landscapes with one identity. The Master plan geometry structures the site at all scales from site plan to exhibition showcases, such that navigation within the complex is straightforward. The Landscape displays several thematic parks cafes and restaurants that offer entertainment and enjoyable resting places. This concept extends beyond site boundaries as the main building is structured by the sightline from the site to the pyramids. The main building comprises various exhibition spaces, a library, a media library, an education centre, a conference centre, and retail but is represented externally by one coherent surface translucent Sierpinski Wall. On
approach to the site from Cairo, the Sierpinski Wall captures visitors’
attention and will be appreciated concerning the pyramids. This wall is the iconographic identity of the entire complex.
The GEM is designed in such a manner as to create a world-class building
capable of demonstrating the progress, evolution, and development of the
Egyptian Civilization. The technological infrastructure of the complex
allows for the creation of modern archives and a library capable of
facilitating the management, maintenance, and preservation of the
collection, as well as research-related activities.
What the Grand Egyptian Museum will look like
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| The Grand Egyptian Museum |
The GEM is built on a slope and straddles the 162-foot difference in levels between the Nile Valley, where you enter, and the Giza plateau,
where the main galleries are situated. There are sculpture gardens in the museum park. The visitor's path to the museum begins with seeing the
obelisk square, in which he displays the first obelisk hanging in the
world and sees before it the majestic facade of the museum, "The Pyramids
Wall" with a width of 600 meters and a height of 45 meters. while a
massive statue of Ramses II greets you upon entry into the main atrium.
From here, the Grand Staircase, which leads from the valley level to the plateau,
will be lined with 87 statues of kings and gods.
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| Ramses II - The Grand Egyptian Museum |
The main galleries lead left from the staircase. They are divided into four eras: pre-dynastic (up to 3100 B.C.) and Old Kingdom (the pyramid builders), the Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom (Tutankhamun, Ramses and Co) and Greco-Roman. These chronological galleries are then organized according to themes, unlike in the old museum: Beliefs and Eternity (religion), Kingship and Power (rulers), and Society (the rest of us). In the end, visitors are led right back to tall glass windows, which look out toward the pyramids and drive home the magnificence of Ancient Egypt—the grand finale of a chronological show celebrating one of the world's greatest civilizations.
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| The Grand Egyptian Museum |
To the right of the staircase are the Tutankhamun galleries where, for the first time, the contents of the tomb will be shown in their entirety. There is also a separate children’s museum within the museum, which will use state-of-the-art visual tricks to explain Egypt’s ancient world to kids. An especially cool note about the Tut galleries: the relics are displayed in the exact order that Carter came across them in the tomb.
Also, It includes a library of rare books and archaeological stores. The conference building consists of a three-dimensional hall, a cultural
centre, the main restaurant square, a commercial walkway, and shops. The external arenas, it include the Sun Boat Museum, a group of
restaurants and many gardens.
How the museum is going to affect tourism
Jim Berkeley, founder, and CEO of Destinations and Adventures
International is altering his company's itineraries to account for the sheer scale of the new museum. "It’s going to force everybody to recast their touring schedule in Cairo," he says. "Heretofore, you really needed two full days of touring time, one day for the Giza pyramids one day, and another half day for the Egyptian Museum half a day. The Grand
Egyptian Museum is now going to be so massive, that people are going to want to go twice. It’s like trying to tackle the Louvre. It’s impossible in a day."
How much will it cost?
The museum recently announced that the ticket price for foreigners will be EGP 400, around $25, with a 50% discount for students.
What to look for?
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| Tutankhamun - The Grand Egyptian Museum |
Though each dazzling main gallery has enough original and restored works to keep you browsing for the better part of the day, prioritize the Tutankhamun Gallery. There were about 1500 items from the boy king’s tomb in the old museum and there are 5400 in the new, but few visitors will spare time to see the entire collection: the gold mask and sarcophagus, the jewels, throne, and chariots are the stand-out pieces. And unlike in the old museum, which simply displayed the treasures, here entire narratives have been developed in the designs of many of the galleries, to demonstrate King Tut's lifestyle, including what and when he ate, and what he might have been wearing.
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| Tutankhamun - The Grand Egyptian Museum |
The pre-dynastic collection, which was limited to just a few items in the old museum is finally being given some prominence, including gilded elongated figures. The 140-foot-long solar boat, buried beside the Great Pyramid, has been worked into the new displays. We might finally see the glory of the little-known Middle Kingdom, which kicked off around 2050 B.C. and is considered to some a high point in ancient art but has been poorly presented until now. A point to focus on is the massive restoration effort from the 17 dedicated on-site labs that went into preserving and restoring these relics, many of which are nearly 5000 years old (keep an eye out for Tut's colourful, 3500-year-old bejewelled sandals).
When to visit the Grand Egyptian Museum
September to April are the prime months for touring Egypt, with
Christmas and Easter as the busiest periods. All tour groups are expected to visit the GEM, so it is unlikely to ever be empty—although visiting later in the day may be easier. Some of the restaurants are expected to be open 24 hours a day.
The Grand Egyptian Museum "GEM" - Photo Gallery
The Grand Egyptian Museum "GEM" location on Google Maps
How to visit The Grand Egyptian Museum "GEM"?
Unlike the old antiquities museum, the GEM is well-placed for access.
It's close to the Cairo ring road, the freeway circling Cairo's metropolitan area. It will be connected to the Cairo metro when the new line is completed and, conveniently, can be reached by air: the new
Sphinx International Airport, 20 minutes away, will receive international flights, but the main advantage will be the domestic routes, making it an easy day trip from the Red Sea resorts.
Alongside the galleries, there will be eight restaurants, 28 gift shops, and a 3D cinema.
What will happen to the old Egyptian Museum?
It's being slowly cleaned up, but a major renovation of 1902 the building will be undertaken once everything has been moved to the GEM.
The old museum will still house a world-class collection of antiquities but is likely to be only visited by students, scholars, and those of us
with a more-than-passing interest in the wonders of this ancient
land.
Sphinx International AirportThe airport, which is located west of Cairo along the Cairo-Alexandria desert road is scheduled to receive regular scheduled flights and charter flights during the upcoming period. Sphinx International Airport was opened in January 2019. Egypt’s government anticipates that the new airport will hold great tourist importance, due to its proximity to the Giza Pyramids, the much-anticipated new Grand Egyptian Museum, and other historic areas in Cairo and Giza popular with foreign travellers.
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