With much pomp and circumstance, Cairo is due to inaugurate on Saturday the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, widely presented as the crowning jewel on authorities’ efforts to overhaul the country’s vital tourism industry.
With a panoramic view of the Giza pyramids plateau, the GEM houses thousands of artefacts spanning more than 5,000 years of Egyptian antiquity at a whopping cost of over $1 billion.
More than two decades in the making, the ultra-modern museum anticipates five million visitors annually, with never-before-seen relics on display.
In the run-up to the grand opening, Egyptian media and official statements have hailed the “historic moment”, describing the museum as “Egypt’s gift to the world” and a “new chapter in the history of Egyptian civilisation”.
Preparations for the much-delayed inauguration have been shrouded in secrecy.
Authorities have not named the dignitaries expected to attend, but have promised “kings, princes, heads of state and government leaders”.
Organisers have also been tight-lipped on the new display for the iconic gold mask of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Regular visitors will be able to view 4,500 of the approximately 5,000 funeral pieces that were previously dispersed throughout the nation, including at the Egyptian Museum of the colonial era in central Cairo, after the museum opens on Tuesday.
According to an official statement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi convened a high-level meeting on Saturday that was “dedicated to advancing preparations” for the inauguration.
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