Cairo

The Egyptian Museum, Cairo

About The Egyptian Museum

Also known as the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, The Egyptian Museum of Cairo is a treasure trove of ancient wonders. It is located in the heart of Tahrir Square and boasts an impressive collection of over 170,000 artefacts. These collections span from the Predynastic Period to the Graeco-Roman Era (approximately 5500 BC to AD 364) and showcase the splendour of ancient Egypt.

The museum's architecture is designed by French architect Marcel Dourgnon. The museum has 100 exhibition halls to give us a glimpse of pharaohs, gods, and daily life in ancient Egypt. The Isis Keystone that is found in the main entrance serves as a fitting welcome for the museum.

From intricately carved statues of gods and kings to dazzling jewellery and exquisite sarcophagi, the museum houses thousands of precious Egyptian artefacts. While each artefact at the museum has a deep history behind it, the Mask of Tutankhamun is the primary highlight. The Mask of Tutankhamun is a solid gold funerary mask embellished with precious gemstones. This 8th-century mask once covered the face of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun in his tomb. Other prime highlights are Menkaure Triads, Ramesses II Child and the God Horus, The Rosetta Stone and the Mummy Room. Masterpiece statues at the museum include Hor son of Ankh Khonsu Ptolemaic King, and Psametik.

Location: Midan al-Tahrir, Downtown

Timings: 9 am to 5 pm except on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. On Friday, it is from 9 am to 4 pm. And on Thursday and Sunday, it is reopened from 5:30 pm to 9 pm.

Price: 391.56 Egyptian pounds per adult

The Egyptian Museum Highlights

• Marvel at the opulent treasures and artefacts like the intricately carved funeral mask of the Egyptian boy king, Tutankhamun at the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
• Enter into the Mummy Room where the preserved remains of ancient Egyptian pharaohs and queens lie in silence.
• Participate in a Hieroglyphics Workshop, learn the basics of this ancient script, decipher common symbols and compose your personalised cartouche.
• Witness the Rosetta Stone which is an ancient slab of black basalt inscribed with a decree issued by King Ptolemy V in 196 BC.
• Attend a Guided Tour with an Egyptologist and Delve deeper into the stories behind the artefacts, uncover the secrets of mummification and decipher hieroglyphs.

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Point of Interest for The Egyptian Museum

Tomb of Tutankhamun

This is the most famous attraction of the museum which can be found in a dark room on the second floor. The mask dates back to the 8th century and is made of two layers of gold. A protective spell from the Book of the Dead is inscribed on the shoulders of the mask. This extravagant funerary mask was discovered by Howard Carter in 1925 in tomb KV62 in the Valley of the Kings and weighs more than 10 kg.

Narmer Palette (Old Kingdom)

This is an ancient cosmetic palette which was used to make cosmetic pastes for God statues. The ingredients were ground on this palette to powder or paste form. The palette has inscriptions that tell how Upper and Lower Egypt was unified by King Narmer with precision to detail. Hence it is considered to be the first historical document in the world. This masterpiece is from the 31st century BC and can be found on the Ground floor, gallery 43.

Statue of Djoser (Old Kingdom)

This limestone statue of King Djoser is one of the oldest life-sized Egyptian statues found so far. King Djoser is a 3rd dynasty ruler. A huge statue of him was discovered in a serdab and the statue depicts Djsoser wearing a long robe. One can see a moustache painted on the upper lips of the statue. The statue's eyes once had semi-precious stones in them. You can find this statue on the ground floor, gallery 48 of the museum.

Statue of Khafre

Khafre is the king who built the second-largest pyramid in Giza and the Sphinx. The statue is made of a hard diorite dark stone which symbolises his valour. This amazing statue shows him sitting on a throne decked with majestic lions, lotus and papyrus plants. The falcon god Horus is visible only from the sides of the statue. You can find this statue on the ground floor, room 42 of the museum.

Statue of Rahotep and Nofret

This statue shows Prince Rohotep and his wife Nofret at a young age. The statue is made from limestone and is life-sized. You can see Rohe Top wearing an amulet and Nofret wearing a wig in the statue. The eyes of the statues have rock crystal which gives both a realistic and strange appearance to the statue. You can find this statue on the ground floor, room 32 of the museum.

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The Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo (EMC) is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East. It is famous for its mind-boggling collection of more than 170,000 artefacts collected from the Predynastic Period to the Greco-Roman Era. The museum has the highest number of treasured pieces of ancient Egyptian history including Tutankhamun's treasures.

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