As the highly anticipated opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) draws near, Egypt is preparing to launch a long-awaited global event — the culmination of years of continuous work and a landmark transformation in the presentation and documentation of ancient Egyptian civilization.

The museum stands as one of the world’s foremost cultural beacons, embodying Egypt’s vision to preserve its heritage and present it to the world through a unique blend of historical authenticity, architectural brilliance, and cutting-edge interactive display technologies that reaffirm Egypt’s leadership on the global tourism map.

The GEM in Numbers… International Awards

The Grand Egyptian Museum has been awarded eight ISO certificates across various domains, including energy management, occupational health and safety, environment, and quality standards.

In addition, it earned the EDGE Advance Green Building Certificate (2024), making it the
first green museum in Africa and the Middle East. The museum also won the prestigious Prix Versailles award, naming it among the most beautiful museums in the world for 2024, and was honored with the “Best Project in the World” Award 2024 by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). Global Recognition The Lonely Planet travel guide described the Grand Egyptian Museum as the largest archaeological museum complex in the world dedicated to a single civilization, covering a time span from 700,000 BC to 394 AD through its multiple exhibition sections. Similarly, UNESCO noted that the museum offers both Egyptian and international visitors a unique opportunity to journey through more than 5,000 years of ancient Egyptian history.

An Architectural and Cultural Marvel

Spanning an area of 490,000 square meters, the Grand Egyptian Museum is the largest
museum in the world devoted to a single civilization — Ancient Egypt. It features a main entrance of approximately 7,000 square meters, where a colossal statue of King Ramses II welcomes visitors.

The museum houses over 57,000 artifacts that narrate Egypt’s history through the ages,including the Grand Staircase, which extends over 6,000 square meters, rising the equivalent of six floors.

The museum includes 12 main exhibition halls covering 18,000 square meters, temporary
exhibition halls of around 1,700 square meters, and dedicated galleries for King
Tutankhamun’s treasures — covering nearly 7,500 square meters and displaying over 5,000 artifacts together for the first time ever.
In addition, the Children’s Museum, spanning about 5,000 square meters, offers an engaging educational experience.
It is estimated that the museum will attract around 5 million visitors annually.

A Journey of Construction Leading to a Global Opening

The Grand Egyptian Museum’s construction timeline shows a monumental project nearly two decades in the making. Site preparation and clearing began in May 2005, followed by major construction works starting in 2016.
The museum began trial operations in October 2024, with its official grand opening
scheduled for November 1, 2025. A countdown to the grand opening can be found here.

A Grand Opening Attended by World Leaders

The opening ceremony is expected to be a global event, attended by numerous heads of state, kings, international dignitaries, and representatives of major global institutions, reflecting Egypt’s enduring historical and cultural stature.

Distinguished International Visits Ahead of the Opening

The infographics also highlighted recent visits by world leaders and high-level officials to the museum, including:
-Emmanuel Macron, President of France
-Luong Cuong, President of Vietnam
-João Lourenço, President of Angola
-Azali Assoumani, President of the Comoros
-Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore
-Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia
-Đorđe Matić, Prime Minister of Serbia
-Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon
-Masad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the U.S. President for Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs
-Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

The Grand Egyptian Museum stands as Egypt’s gift to humanity — a monumental cultural
landmark that bridges past and present, celebrating the timeless legacy of Egyptian civilization and reaffirming Egypt’s role as a guardian of world heritage.