The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum opened the Grand Staircase to the public! See over 50 statues and ancient pieces from the GEM’s permanent collection by traveling up four flights of stairs, with views of the Giza Pyramids from the top.
Grand Staircase
The Grand Staircase is split up into four thematic sections, each one containing dozens of statues and objects from ancient Egypt. The four sections include:
Royal Image (showing how the pharaoh chose to have themselves depicted and why)
Divine Houses (all about ancient Egyptian temples)
Gods & Kings (ancient Egyptian gods and their relationship to the pharaoh)
Journey to Eternity (death and the afterlife)
Each section is well labeled with a thematic description, and each statue/object is labeled as well, making the exhibition perfect for self-guided tours.
Wheelchair and accessibility
The Grand Staircase is also an accessible exhibit, with three people-movers taking museum goers up to each section without using any stairs, and there are also three people-movers for folks using wheelchairs.
What can you see at the GEM?
In addition to the Grand Staircase, visitors to the GEM can see:
The colossal statue of Ramses the Great
The two statues of a Ptolemaic king and queen
Another colossal statue of Ramses the Great (by Beano’s coffee)
The hanging obelisk (outside the main museum entrance)
The museum’s commercial area, featuring restaurants like Zooba, Starbucks, and other food/dessert options
The museum’s gift shop—an amazing spot for local Egyptian souvenirs (many handmade) at fixed prices
Before anyone gets too excited, no, the GEM is still not fully open. The only areas that tourists can visit include the hanging obelisk square, the Great Hall (which has three colossal statues and also a column from Saqqara), the gift shop (which has an amazing selection of handmade items at fixed prices), and the restaurants/coffeeshops. The Tutankhamun Galleries (which will house all of the King Tut artifacts) are still not completed and opened, along with all of the other areas with artifacts.
The Tutankhamun Immersive Experience is a traveling exhibit that was featured in several European cities before making it’s way to Egypt. It is a look at the treasures from the tomb of King Tut, using technology like large scale video projections, virtual reality, lighting and sound effects, etc. to create an immersive experience. It certainly will be a good add-on to seeing the remaining Tut artifacts on display at the original Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square (not all of his objects have been moved to the GEM, yet), and Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. But the exhibit does not feature any of the actual artifacts found in the tomb (these are mostly out of view at the Tut Gallery at the GEM, yet to be opened, or at the original Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square) and it will not have Tutankhamun’s mummified remains (which are on display in his tomb at the Valley of the Kings).
When will the Grand Egyptian Museum fully open?
We unfortunately still don’t know when the GEM’s full opening will be. For now, we are hoping for an opening in 2024, but based on all the past delays in the GEM’s opening, it’s impossible to extrapolate when the official opening will be.
To stay up to date, follow us on social media, In the future, we look forward to adding reservations for tickets to the Grand Egyptian Museum to our website. We also will cover museums all around Egypt, stay tuned.
