President Sisi invites Spain's king, queen to attend Grand Egyptian Museum opening in July
CAIRO – 19 February 2025: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has invited Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), scheduled for July.
During a speech at a luncheon hosted in his honor by the Spanish king and queen in Madrid on Wednesday, the president also invited them to visit Egypt at the earliest opportunity.
GEM is poised to become the world's largest museum dedicated solely to one civilization, which is ancient Egypt.
Nestled close to the recently opened Sphinx International Airport and offering stunning views of the iconic Pyramids of Giza, GEM covers an expansive 500,000 square meters.
The museum's size is remarkable—double that of the Louvre and two and a half times that of the British Museum.
The GEM hosted a soft opening in November 2023, welcoming visitors to explore its beautiful gardens and cafes, the impressive hanging obelisk, and the main galleries.
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Ali abo deshish In a few weeks, the eyes of the entire world will turn to Egypt to witness the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2025. This is the largest event in the history of Egypt and the world at large, and one that is eagerly awaited by everyone interested in Pharaonic culture and civilization in particular, from all over the world. Everyone is eager to see a new spectacle of ancient Egyptian civilization, which has remained a symbol of ancient Egyptian genius and excellence in various fields. This opening heralds a new era for Egyptian tourism in 2025, attracting millions of international visitors from around the world and affirming Egypt's position as an indispensable tourist destination. It will also be a pivotal attraction, not only on the cultural tourism map in Egypt, but also globally. The museum will be a must-see for any tourist visiting Egypt and will increase the length of their stay. 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The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of cooperation and coordination between various stakeholders to ensure a grand opening ceremony for the Egyptian Museum, one befitting the scale of this important global event and reflecting the rich history and civilization of Egypt. He emphasized the special importance of the Grand Egyptian Museum's opening ceremony, given its integration with the state's efforts to attract more tourists to Egypt and its various tourist destinations. He noted the interest the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum has garnered from observers from around the world, as this museum houses the treasures of Egyptian civilization and tells the story of its ancient history, making it a magnet on the Egyptian and global tourism map. Location of the Museum The Grand Egyptian Museum is located on an area of 117feddans, a few miles west of Cairo (15 km), on the plateau between the pyramids. It is only 2 km from the Pyramids of Giza and modern Cairo, making it a gateway to Egypt's past, present, and future. The unique location allows visitors to view the three Giza pyramids through the dazzling glass facade of the Grand Egyptian Museum's entrance lobby. The museum's facade rises five stories to match the height of the pyramid. Visitors can take photos with the pyramids while enjoying the collections of King Tutankhamun. Preparations for the global event The state is committed to ensuring the success of this global event through extensive preparations, including comprehensive development of the Pyramids and Museum area, improving the roads and infrastructure leading to the museum, upgrading the lighting system and visual identity, equipping Sphinx International Airport to receive official delegations and tourists, and implementing networks connecting the museum areas to each other via a cable car, spanning 10 stations. The museum will also be connected by metro, and is expected to attract 5 million visitors annually. The GEM is one of the largest museum projects in the world and boasts many unique features. It houses more than 100,000 artifacts from various Pharaonic eras, some of which are being seen for the first time. It will feature the first complete display of King Tutankhamun's collection. It boasts world-class architectural design with a direct view of the Giza Pyramids. It also includes educational and cultural facilities, a state-of-the-art archaeological research center, open spaces, interactive exhibition halls, and recreational areas for visitors. The Importance of the Museum The museum was designed to support the preservation and restoration of cultural and historical heritage, and to promote museum-related activities, such as the display of artifacts and educational activities. This contributes to the development of the tourism industry. The museum derives its importance from the significance and history of the Pyramids area in which it is located. The location provides tourism companies with the opportunity to diversify their tourism programs and combine various tourism styles. It is expected that the construction of new hotels near the museum and the pyramids will increase, and the market for luxury real estate with archaeological and historical views will grow. These properties are suitable for tourist accommodation or for ownership and rental in the area. Objectives of the Grand Egyptian Museum Raising awareness among young people and Egyptian society about Egyptian civilization. Displaying archaeological collections and utilizing the latest museum display methods and technologies. Digital documentation and recording of artifacts, as well as their preservation, security, study, maintenance, and restoration. Organizing temporary and permanent antiquities exhibitions within Egypt. Holding seminars, conferences, cultural and scientific activities, and other activities. Reviving Egyptian traditional crafts and arts through the manufacture, marketing, and sale of replicas of antiquities. Restored artifacts transferred to the museum: The number of artifacts transferred: 51,472. The number of artifacts restored: 50,466. The number of artifacts restored from the second Khufu ship: 1,240 out of 1,272 recovered from the discovery site, and 1,006 artifacts were transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum. The artifacts transferred from the King Tutankhamun collection: 5,340. The artifacts placed on the Grand Staircase: 42 out of 72 artifacts in the final design of the Grand Staircase. External spaces surrounding the museum: The Solar Boat Museum, with an area of 4,000 square meters. The Pyramids Restaurant, with an area of 6,000 square meters, offering a distinctive view of the pyramids. The Temple Garden Restaurant, with an area of 3,000 square meters, serves museum visitors. A multi-use building with an area of 17,000 sqm. The 58,000-square-meter recreational park extends across the entire area in front of the conference center in the northern area. The 19,000-square-meter exhibit garden, containing a number of large artifacts, is located south of Obelisk Square. The 15,000-square-meter temple garden, south of the museum building, features aromatic plants known from ancient Egyptian civilization. Up to 17,000-square-meter Land of Egypt garden, west of the museum building, features a simulation of the agricultural environment of ancient Egypt. About 8,000-square-meter children's garden. More than 80,000-square-meter sand dune area, southwest of the museum building. The Pyramids Amphitheater, connecting the temple garden below with the sand dune area above, with views of the pyramids to the south. A 30,000-square-meter visitor parking lot. The museum specializes in the following: Displaying archaeological collections using the latest museum display methods and technologies. Digital documentation and recording of artifacts, as well as their preservation, security, study, maintenance, and restoration. Organizing temporary and permanent antiquities exhibitions within Egypt. Holding seminars, conferences, cultural and scientific activities, and other activities. Raising awareness among young people and Egyptian society about Egyptian civilization. Reviving Egyptian traditional crafts and arts through the manufacture, marketing, and sale of replicas of antiquities. The First Green Museum The Grand Egyptian Museum has adopted a clear strategy for sustainable development by integrating green building dimensions into all phases of the project. This is achieved through: Developing services provided to visitors, including providing waiting areas, ensuring full accessibility for people with disabilities, creating dedicated bicycle lanes and parking spaces, and using electric vehicles. Furthermore, increasing the efficiency of water and energy consumption within the museum by reusing and reducing water consumption, particularly for agricultural purposes. Ensuring the use of natural ventilation and natural lighting, which are available in the museum lobby where King Ramses II receives his visitors. The system for measuring and detecting leaks, reducing various temperatures, and utilizing renewable energy sources by installing solar cells above waiting areas, in cooperation with the Small Solar Cell Systems Project implemented by the Industrial Modernization Center, the United Nations Development Program, and the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, has qualified the museum to receive several certificates and awards in this regard, including: The "Best Green Building Project" award, presented during the Environment and Development Forum: The Road to the 27th Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference, organized by the Arab Water Council in Cairo from September 11 to 13, 2022, under the auspices of the League of Arab States and with the participation of twelve Arab and foreign countries. This makes it the first museum in Egypt to be certified as an environmentally friendly green building—the first green museum. The museum won the award for Best Model for Building Facilities through the BIM Model Award smart application. The museum received the Gold Certificate for Green Building and Sustainability, according to the Egyptian Green Pyramid System, in October 2022 from the National Housing Research Center, for its contribution to preparing a guide for evaluating museums as sustainable green projects and for its work to raise awareness of all aspects of the project. Regarding sustainable green buildings, promoting them and highlighting their benefits to economic, environmental, and societal resources to achieve Egypt's Vision 2030. 4 ISO Certifications The Grand Egyptian Museum has obtained three international certifications as of September 2020: The International Certification in Occupational Health and Safety (ISO 45001:2018) The International Certification in Environmental Management (ISO 14001) The International Certification in Quality Systems (ISO 9001) In March 2021, the museum obtained its fourth ISO certification: The ISO/PAS 45005:2020 certification, which specializes in managing risks arising from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), to protect health, safety, and well-being related to work, due to its commitment to quality standards since the onset of the crisis and its publication of a booklet entitled "We Have Never Stopped... in the Face of COVID-19." The Gold Certification for Green Building and Sustainability, according to the Egyptian Green Pyramid System, was obtained by the museum in October. 2022 From the National Housing Research Center, for its contribution to preparing a guide to evaluate the museum as a sustainable green project, and for its work to raise awareness of everything related to sustainable green buildings, promote them, and highlight their benefits to economic, environmental, and societal resources, in order to achieve Egypt's Vision 2030. The Most Important Cultural Project of the 21st Century On his part, Dr. Zahi Hawass, the renowned Egyptologist, emphasized that the entire world is eagerly awaiting the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum on July 3. He described it as "the most important cultural project of the 21st century," describing it as a global phenomenon without parallel anywhere else in the world. Its opening is a message to the world about Egypt's preservation of its heritage. Hawass said that the Grand Egyptian Museum "has done its own advertising," emphasizing that "the world is awaiting July 3 to witness the museum's opening." The Egyptologist noted that everyone in the world knows the opening date of the Grand Egyptian Museum, reflecting the cultural and civilizational significance of this massive edifice. He emphasized that the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum will be the most dazzling among modern tourist and archaeological events. 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