The Cabinet's Media Center published a series of infographics on its social media platforms titled "The Grand Egyptian Museum... Egypt's Gift to the World... Intensive Preparations Ahead of its Opening," underscoring the final countdown to the global event.
The GEM is seen as the culmination of years of work and a
major step forward in displaying and documenting ancient Egyptian civilization.
The state-of-the-art museum aims to present Egypt's heritage in a unique blend
of historical grandeur and modern design, using the latest interactive
technology to reflect Egypt's leading position on the global tourism map.
The infographics highlighted the museum's international
accolades, including securing eight ISO certifications in the fields of energy,
occupational health and safety, environment, and quality. It also earned the
"EDGE Advance" certification for green buildings in 2024, making it
the first "green museum" in Africa and the Middle East.
Additionally, the GEM won the prestigious Prix Versailles
for 2024, recognizing it as one of the most beautiful museums in the world. It
was also named the "Best Project globally" for 2024 by the
International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).
Global praise for the museum was also noted, with travel
guide Lonely Planet affirming that the GEM is the world's largest
archaeological museum complex dedicated to a single civilization, covering the
era from 700,000 BC to 394 AD. UNESCO noted that the GEM will offer both
foreign visitors and Egyptians a unique opportunity to travel through over
5,000 years of ancient Egyptian history.
The infographics detailed the museum's scale, describing it
as the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization—Ancient
Egypt. Spanning 490,000 square meters, the complex features a main entrance
hall of about 7,000 square meters housing a statue of King Ramses II.
The museum will display over 57,000 artefacts that narrate
Egypt's history through the ages. It includes the Grand Staircase, covering
approximately 6,000 square meters and equal in height to six stories, 12 main
exhibition halls spanning about 18,000 square meters, and temporary exhibition
halls covering approximately 1,700 square meters.
The complex will also feature halls dedicated to the
collections of King Tutankhamun, covering nearly 7,500 square meters and
displaying more than 5,000 artefacts from the King's treasures together for the
first time. A children's museum will span about 5,000 square meters. The GEM is
projected to attract around five million visitors annually.
The construction phases, leading up to the global launch,
were also outlined. Site preparation began in May 2005, with construction work
starting in 2016. The museum is set for a soft launch in October 2024, with the
official grand opening scheduled for November 1, 2025.
The official opening ceremony is expected to be attended by
a number of presidents, monarchs, high-profile public figures, and
international entities, in a global event reflecting Egypt's historical
significance.
The infographics also listed prominent world leaders who have visited the GEM ahead of its official opening, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, Angolan President João Lourenço, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Other visitors included Serbian Prime Minister Djoro Matsut, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Senior Advisor to the US President for Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs Mosaad Boulos, and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.