The Imhotep Museum, dedicated to the legendary ancient Egyptian architect and his legacy, has reopened in Saqqara, following the completion of its restoration and development project.
The Museum was inaugurated by Mr. Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, in the presence of Dr. Mostafa Waziri (Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities), Brigadier General Engineer Hisham Samir (Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Antiquities and Museums Projects and Supervisor of the Projects Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities), and other dignitaries that included Dr. Mamdouh Farouk, the Museum’s director.
At the beginning of his speech on this occasion, the Minister expressed his happiness with the development in the Saqqara archaeological area. In that framework he announced the imminent opening of a new entrance to the site, which will improve the tourist experience for visitors and facilitate their access to the archaeological area as a whole and to the Imhotep Museum.
The Minister also expressed his happiness at the reopening of the work of the Imhotep Museum development project in the Saqqara archaeological area, which is considered one of the most beautiful museums within archaeological sites. The museum tells the story of the earliest builder in Egypt, the engineer Imhotep, who designed and supervised the construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, creating a first in the way ancient Egyptians cut stones to built iconic monuments. The Minister stressed that the location of the museum within the archaeological site of Saqqara adds to its importance as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities toured the museum and listened to a detailed explanation from Dr. Mahmoud Mabrouk, advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for the museum display, who indicated that the museum kept the same display scenario, that focuses on three topics: a. the architectural and artistic styles of Saqqara, b. the development of burial methods and its collections during ancient Egyptian times, and c. the engineer Imhotep. Six temporary displays have been added. These contain about 70 objects coming from the finds of the Egyptian archaeological mission headed by Dr. Mostafa Waziri, in the Saqqara region. According to a statement made later by Dr. Mostafa Waziri, the museum also contains early building tools, and rare animal mummies (such as lion cubs, monkeys, cats, mongooses, and others), and what is identified as the oldest royal mummy – the body of Nemtyemsaf I Merenre, the fourth king of the 6th Dynasty.
During the tour, the Minister directed the need to pay a visit to the tour guides to introduce them to the museum, the artifacts, and the museum display scenario, so that they can perform their work to perfection.
During his speech, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, thanked the Museum Display Scenario Committee and the Museum Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities for their efforts in opening the museum. He pointed out that there are 41 museums in Egypt, 36 of which are currently open to visitors, while many many more are expected to open soon; the latter include The Aten Museum in Minya, the Mosaic and Marine Museums in Alexandria, Aswan Museum, and Port Said Museum.
The Secretary-General spoke about the archaeological site of Saqqara and the architect Imhotep, who was deified in later times due to his great status as a god of medicine and engineering. .
He also reviewed the history of the museum, which dates back to 1997, when it was opened for the first time and then closed for redevelopment in March 2022, in the framework of a project costing about 48 million pounds. According to Engineer Hisham Samir, the development project included the coordination of works on the external general site of the museum, starting from the entrance to the archaeological area until the main entrance to the museum. The works included the replacement of damaged floors, and maintenance, reinforcement and raising the height of the museum’s enclosure wall.