Egyptian Museum of Cairo
The Egyptian Museum is located in the center of the capital of Egypt, Cairo, near Tahrir Square. Visiting it allows you to learn all about the life and customs of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.
Where is the Egyptian Museum located?
Also known as the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, it is located very close to Tahrir Square in the center of the city. Because Cairo is the country’s favorite destination, this helps make the museum one of the most visited places by tourists from all over the world.
Who built the museum?
The building was built by the French architect Marcel Dourgan and the idea of the project and its realization was created by the French Egyptologist Aguste Mariette Pasha, in 1858. However, the inauguration was not until 1902.
In the garden of the museum is the tomb with a tribute to Aguste, this tribute is a bronze statue bearing his name and a plaque with his date of birth and death. The first director of the Cairo Museum was the French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero.
Why was the Egyptian Museum built?
Due to a large number of expeditions throughout the country and all the artifacts found in these, they were obliged to build a place to house all the pharaonic samples (jewelry, statues, sarcophagi, mummies, etc.) to exhibit them and let the world know their wonder.
Thanks to the collection, organization, and exhibition of all these pieces, people from all over the globe have been able to see the culture, traditions, and more of ancient Egypt up close.
What is the structure of the museum-like?
Initially, the museum was inaugurated in a different location than the current one. Auguste Mariette Pasha opened the first museum in the suburb called Boulaq around 1835. However, a flood occurred there and the entire museum had to be moved to the Palace of Ismael Pasha where it was located until 1902 and then moved to the present building.
The museum is divided into two floors where more than 50 rooms are exhibiting more than 200,000 unique pieces. Although due to the increasing number of findings, the number of collections has been increasing considerably, and pieces that were exhibited in other countries of the world have also been recovered and brought back.
Among the more than 50 rooms, there are 2 that are very famous. The first is the one that houses the famous golden mask of Tutankhamun and several treasures that were found inside his tomb (more than 5,000 pieces). The second is the vault containing the mummified remains of some of the most famous pharaohs between the years 1552 to 1069 BC. One of these remains is that of Ramses II.
A visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is an extensive tour to learn about one of the most famous cultures. The rooms are carefully organized chronologically allowing visitors to detail the passage of time in order by dynasties and the characteristics and changes in each of these.
Curious facts about the Egyptian Museum
In the basements of the museum, there are about 600 mummies poorly registered and others not yet registered. It is expected, with a new project and with the help of new technology, to classify them according to their genealogy and thus be able to complete the families of the different Egyptian kings of each period.
The museum also houses masterpieces dating from the Predynastic to the Greco-Roman period.
On your trip to Egypt do not forget to visit this great museum with Gate 2 Egypt.
