The Grand Egyptian Museum is open (sort of) and it’s magnificent

In mid-October, to the surprise of even the most ardent Egyptologists, the GEM opened, albeit partially, and I became one of the first people to see it.

I have lost track of the number of times Escape, and just about every other travel publication or expert from around the globe, has included the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on hot lists and must-visit roundups for the year ahead. What started as a genuine belief that the doors would open sometime soon then became more of a guessing game.

One minute it was 2002, and an architectural competition was launched to design the building; the next the project was plagued by seismic delays caused by the aftermath of the Arab Spring and the Covid pandemic. Add the usual shenanigans that come with any major development – in this case, the budget blew out to $1.5b – and it seemed this much-anticipated tourist attraction would never be finished.

As recently as September, I was invited to Cairo and Luxor by Viking Cruises to attend the naming ceremony of two new Nile river ships, Sobek and Hathor. The itinerary included some of the priceless relics and sites of Egyptian history but the GEM was conspicuously missing.

The exterior is decorated with triangular tiles and cartouches, and overall it’s both modern and ageless.

Then, in mid-October, to the surprise of even the most ardent Egyptologists, it opened, albeit partially. To my joy, on November 4, the anniversary of Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, a brief tour slipped into the schedule. I was to become one of the first people to see what modern fans of the ancient world have been waiting for.

The GEM is striking, looming large on the desert plateau adjacent to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza. The structure is designed on a series of axes, each corresponding with the heights of the three pyramids; the exterior is decorated with triangular tiles and cartouches, and overall it’s both modern and ageless.

One of the focal points of the ground-level concourse is the imposing 12m statue of Pharaoh Rameses II.

As imposing as the building is from the outside, the interior is even more awesome. The focal points of the ground-level concourse are the imposing 12m statue of Pharaoh Rameses II and a central, four-level marble staircase covered with thousands-years-old statues. The windows are positioned to maximise the views of the pyramids beyond.

The GEM’s 100,000-piece permanent collection makes it the world’s biggest museum devoted to a single civilisation. It is divided into the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, and artefacts include objects of daily life, papyrus and portraits, tombs, grave goods and sarcophagi. The curation is impeccable, in particular the lighting, which gives the artefacts the reverence they are due.

King Tuthankamun’s golden funeral mask and sarcophagus is still housed in a small, dark room at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but when it is eventually moved here, the display will be as breathtaking as the rest of the GEM.

A central, four-level marble staircase is covered with thousands-years-old statues.

If history is anything to go by, and you want to experience the completed product, put it on your 2025 travel list at your peril.

The museum’s website currently includes the disclaimer “the ‘anticipated full opening’ time frame is only an estimate and that the guaranteed full opening date will come directly from the Government of Egypt in the near future.”

For now, I have no hesitation in saying that when the GEM is finally 100 per cent complete, we’ll be rewarded with a masterpiece full of masterpieces.

The writer was a guest of Viking Cruises.

Originally published as The Grand Egyptian Museum is open (sort of) and it’s magnificent