The main unfinished construction of the century promises to open soon: what will surprise the Grand Egyptian Museum

A modern “miracle” is being built near the Pyramids of Giza

Exactly 20 years ago, the Egyptian government announced the results of a worldwide competition to design a new museum complex, which should present the main treasures of ancient civilization two kilometers from the Pyramids of Giza. The bureau of architects Roisin Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng developed a large-scale and ambitious project that was going to be implemented over several years. However, the construction of the largest museum in the world with an area of ​​500 thousand square meters. m. has been delayed – more than a billion dollars have already been spent on it. Cheops took at least 20 years to build his pyramid, archaeologists say, but it became the largest in history and is recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world. MK was looking into whether the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) would become a new miracle and whether it would open this year, as was promised back in the spring.

More than 100,000 artifacts, including the pharaoh’s famous golden mask, chariots, sarcophagi and a reconstructed Khufu solar boat, already take their place in an exhibition the size of four football fields. The Grand Egyptian Museum is so big that you could park a Boeing 747 in its atrium. By the way, the atrium is already open to the public, as well as the gift shop and gardens around the museum, but the main exhibition areas are still closed. Atef Moftah, appointed by Egypt’s president in 2016 to oversee the biggest project of the 21st century, said this spring that the Grand Egyptian Museum would fully open by the end of the year. However, he uttered the same words two years ago. But then the opening was postponed once again.

Initially, the Grand Egyptian Museum was expected to open back in 2011, but in fact, construction only began in the late 2000s – early 2010. Something always got in the way – either the revolution in Egypt, or Covid, or adjustments to the project. Atif Mofta, an engineer by training and major general by rank, made changes to the design of the main facade. The Dublin architectural bureau of Róisín Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng, which won the competition for the project in 2003, proposed making a kilometer-long wall from transparent onyx, but Mofta replaced the mineral with glass and shortened the façade, saving about $180 thousand. Despite this, the budget still became record – instead of $250 thousand, at least four times more has already been spent.

The museum building in the desert repeats the features of the great pyramids, from a distance resembling a city of triangles. Its base occupies an area 10 times larger than the Cheops pyramid. The entrance to the museum again looks like a raised pyramid, and on the roof there is an exit to an observation deck, which should offer stunning views of the Giza plateau. At the entrance, guests are greeted by an 8-meter statue of Ramses II, 3,200 years old and weighing 4 tons. After the storming of the Cairo Museum in 2011, it was decided to move some of the exhibits from there to GEM. Among them are artifacts found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

At the moment, the official website of the museum indicates that the opening will take place at the end of 2023 – beginning of 2024. Many tourists are already planning their vacation around the opening, judging by GEM’s social networks, which have been flooded with questions about the exact date of the presentation. The modern Sphinx Airport has already been built not far from the museum. GEM expects to receive at least 3 million visitors a year.