Great Egyptian Museum opens at Pyramiden | EUROtoday

The Great Egyptian Museum on the Pyramids of Giza was formally opened with an elaborate ceremony. Heads of state and authorities from all over the world attended the celebration, the place gentle exhibits, music and dancing in pharaonic costumes showcased Egypt’s new landmark.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated on the opening that the museum was residence to the “vast treasures of Egypt’s ancient civilization.” In a brief speech, he stated: “I invite you to make this museum a platform for dialogue, a haven of knowledge and a meeting point for humanity.”

At the celebration, Al-Sisi welcomed, amongst others, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who traveled to Egypt as a part of a multi-day journey to Africa. According to the hosts, high-ranking delegations from round 80 international locations took half, round 40 of them led by the respective heads of state.

According to the operators, the museum has the world’s largest assortment devoted to Egyptian antiquity, with greater than 100,000 artifacts. With the opening, all the grave treasure of the kid king Tutankhamun can now be seen, in addition to the oldest intact ship from antiquity. The building, which Japan financed primarily with loans, price round 1.2 billion US {dollars}. The museum will probably be open to guests from November 4th. However, components have been obtainable to view for greater than a yr.

The authorities hopes for 5 million guests a yr. That could be round a 3rd of the 15.7 million guests who visited the Arab nation on the Nile final yr. Most of the vacationers got here from Germany and Russia. This yr, Egypt is anticipating 18 million guests who, along with museums and archaeological websites alongside the Nile, usually go to the Red Sea for a seaside vacation.

Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi stated the federal government would proceed to struggle for the return of artifacts from different international locations. This can be in regards to the bust of Queen Nefertiti, which is on show within the New Museum in Berlin. Egypt’s authorities has been calling for its return for years and is satisfied that the murals got here to Germany illegally after excavations. The German aspect, nevertheless, emphasizes that the switch befell legally.