In what is great news for museum and artifact enthusiasts around the globe, the Grand Egyptian Museum (also known as the Giza Museum) will finally be open by early 2021. Major General Atef Moftah, who leads the prestigious building projects of the 21st century said. The foundation stone of the museum was laid in 2002 and is now estimated at &ldquo96.5%&rdquo complete.
The 120 acre construction site of the museum is situated around 2 km away from the Giza pyramids. According to officials, the museum will be complete by late 2020-early 2021. Installations of some 100,000 artefacts, many of which will be displayed for the first time including 3,000 treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun, will be open for public viewing.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi had earlier announced the opening in 2020 but the date was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At 490,000 sq m, the museum is as big as a major airport terminal. Officials claim it's &ldquoEgypt&rsquos gift to the world,&rdquo meanwhile the country&rsquos minister of antiquities and tourism, Khaled al-Anany, calls it the &ldquoFourth Pyramid&rdquo, coming naturally with a panoramic view of the ancient monuments from its windows.
The Tutankhamun gallery is bound to be the museum&rsquos star attraction, showing everything from the 3,300-year-old tomb for the first time to the world. Originally found in 1922, the artifacts from the tomb will feature gold treasures, Tut&rsquos death mask, coffins, chariots, and jewellery, and more everyday objects of use like the pharaoh&rsquos walking sticks, loincloths, and boomerangs.
However, the 11m-high, 83-ton red granite statue of Ramses the Great is the largest artefact on display here. It had arrived early, in January 2018, so the builders could work the atrium around it. Apart from Ramses, 87 other statues of pharaohs and Egyptian gods will be on display. The claimed to be the &lsquolargest museum in the world&rsquo also plans to bring in 20 royal mummies.
