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At the foot of the Giza pyramids, on the sacred land of ancient Memphis — the first capital of the world’s oldest known nation — a new and unprecedented project is taking shape: the Grand Egyptian Museum. Far beyond being a traditional cultural edifice or archaeological display, it is a symbolic expression of Egypt’s strategic transformation toward redefining its global stature. It bridges an unparalleled civilizational legacy with contemporary capabilities in design, administration and international promotion.
Scheduled for official inauguration on Nov. 1, after years of meticulous planning and delays, the Grand Egyptian Museum is set to become a turning point in the history of museology worldwide. It is a multidimensional development project that reflects Egypt’s ambition to rebuild its soft power on modern foundations.
The idea emerged in the 1990s, spearheaded by artist and former Culture Minister Farouk Hosny. In 2002, former President Hosni Mubarak laid the foundation stone, launching a long journey of design, planning and implementation, one not without its setbacks, particularly amid the political turbulence following 2011.
The project was revitalized under the decisive leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who placed the museum under direct presidential supervision. He prioritized integrating the development of the surrounding area, including the Giza Plateau, Sphinx International Airport and the Fayoum highway, transforming the entire region into a unified cultural and tourism zone.
With total costs exceeding $1 billion, the museum received vital financial support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which extended two soft loans totaling $800 million. In addition, significant technical and scientific collaborations contributed to the establishment of one of the world’s largest and most advanced conservation and restoration centers.
The Grand Egyptian Museum spans 480,000 sq. meters and is located just 2 km from the pyramids of Giza, positioning it as the world’s largest cultural and tourism hub. An Irish architectural firm won the international UNESCO-supervised competition to design the museum, envisioning it as a visual and structural extension of the pyramids themselves — essentially a “fourth pyramid” in both form and symbolism.
The building’s design is imbued with layered meaning: its five-story facade captures sunlight along the horizon, while its internal layout gradually unfolds like layers of memory revealing history. The monumental entrance, where an 11-meter-high statue of Ramses II stands, evokes ancient majesty while offering a contemporary welcome.
The museum’s popular acronym, “GEM,” meaning “jewel,” is no longer just a metaphor, it is a tangible reality in terms of architecture, content and global resonance.
The museum houses more than 100,000 artifacts spanning all eras of ancient Egyptian history, from predynastic times to the Greco-Roman period. Its most iconic feature, however, is the complete collection of King Tutankhamen’s treasures, with more than 5,300 items being displayed in full, together for the first time, across 7,500 sq. meters. These are presented using cutting-edge technologies such as augmented reality and spatial mapping that links each artifact to its original discovery site.

Egypt is reintroducing itself to the world as a modern state capable of leveraging its history to build its future.

Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy

The Grand Egyptian Museum forms a cornerstone of Egypt’s strategic plan to double its number of tourist arrivals by 2031, targeting 30 million visitors annually. It is projected that the museum alone will attract between 5 million and 7 million tourists per year, particularly given the integrated infrastructure surrounding it.
The museum’s economic impact extends far beyond the traditional realm of tourism. Its presence is already stimulating the high-end hospitality and real estate markets in the vicinity of the Giza pyramids, transforming the area into a premium destination for luxury hotels, residential developments and commercial projects. Simultaneously, it is breathing new life into Egypt’s cultural and creative industries by reviving traditional crafts and boosting the production of high-quality replicas of ancient artifacts — an emerging market with significant global appeal.
Beyond these visible developments, the museum is generating thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities across multiple sectors, including tourism, cultural management, security, archaeological restoration, hospitality services and smart technologies. Furthermore, it is giving momentum to Egypt’s informal economy by invigorating small businesses and local services such as shops, transport, food vendors and entertainment providers, all of which benefit from the growing influx of visitors to the area.
Moreover, the museum acts as a golden gateway for attracting foreign investment. International hotel chains and commercial developers have already begun negotiating projects in its vicinity.
The Grand Egyptian Museum cannot be seen in isolation; it is a pillar of Egypt’s broader vision to reshape its national image. Through the museum, Egypt is reintroducing itself to the world not just as a cradle of civilization but as a modern state capable of leveraging its history to build its future.
The museum embodies three interwoven dimensions of soft power that elevate Egypt’s global standing. First, it serves as a powerful symbol of civilizational continuity, presenting a compelling narrative of Egypt as a timeless force that has shaped the world’s heritage in art, religion, engineering and statecraft. Second, it functions as a vehicle of cultural diplomacy, with the invitations extended to global leaders for its grand opening reflecting Egypt’s renewed role as a beacon of ancient culture and international dialogue. Third, the museum acts as a tool of global promotion. Its widespread coverage in major international outlets such as Forbes, Time magazine, The New York Times and the Smithsonian magazine has positioned it as one of the most eagerly anticipated cultural events worldwide, enhancing Egypt’s image and influence on the global stage.
Its administration aims to establish the museum as a magnet for Egyptology scholars and students through partnerships with international universities, training programs and curated research opportunities, advancing archaeological studies and preserving global heritage.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is far more than an archaeological project or tourist destination. It is a national renaissance, an intellectual and developmental transformation in how heritage is managed, presented and leveraged as an engine of economic vitality and national pride. It stands as an organic extension of Egypt’s civilizational memory and a tangible realization of its future aspirations.
In a world rediscovering its roots through culture, Egypt sends a clear message: civilizations do not die, they are reborn, from the heart of the pyramids.

• Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy has covered conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy