After 20 years of hard work, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) finally opened to the public. Located on the Giza Plateau, just 2 km from the famous pyramids and the Sphinx, this huge museum covers nearly 500,000 square meters. It has become one of the world’s largest places to show ancient relics and a high-tech center for protecting cultural heritage.
Construction of the GEM started in 2005, but the project was delayed many times because of political instability and money problems. Now, its main galleries display thousands of antiquities that were kept in storage before. The most exciting part is the complete collection of about 5,992 artifacts (手工艺品) from the tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun, including his famous golden mask.
The GEM is more than just a museum. It has one of the Middle East’s most advanced conservation and restoration centers. A specialized team spent years transferring 57,000 artifacts to the museum safely. The center also offers training courses for people from other countries, teaching them skills like restoration and packaging. As GEM’s CEO Ahmed Ghoneim said, the museum uses the latest technology to protect artifacts and serves as a hub (中心) for education and scientific research.
The museum is very important for Egypt’s tourism. It aims to welcome 15,000 to 20,000 visitors every day, or about 7 million a year. On its first public day, around 18,000 people came. This is part of Egypt’s plan to attract 30 million tourists annually by 2030.
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