Seriously it is crazy how unsorted, haphazard, and disorganized that such an important world museum really is. Unlocked cabinets in hallways, most things unlabeled, no apparent security other than angry guys hollering “NO PHOTO!” around the King Tut exhibit. Layers of dust everywhere.
Could be why the government had invested $1 billion and 13 years of construction in the shiny new (and yet to open) Grand Egyptian Museum on the west bank of the Nile.
The Egyptian government first established the museum in 1835 near a garden in Cairo. It was later moved to the Citadel (see earlier post). Then in 1858 a new museum was built on the banks of the Nile where 20 years later it suffered significant damage in a severe flood. In 1891 the contents were moved to a former royal palace in Giza until the current museum in iconic Tahrir Square in central Cairo was opened in 1902. It is still the largest museum in Africa.
The Museum houses over 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display. Among its’ masterpieces King Tut’s sarcophagus and gold burial mask which are among the best-known works of art in the world. The current museum was built by the Italian company of Giuseppe Garozzo and Francesco Zaffrani to a design by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon
You start your visit in the Great Hall.
You’ll see at the other end of the hall are two large statues. They are the colossi of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. Very impressive start.
Believe it or not the Department of Antiquities operated a sale room in room 56 on the ground floor, where original ancient Egyptian artworks and other original artefacts were sold. Until the 1970s, dealers or collectors could bring antiquities to the Cairo Museum for inspection on Thursdays, and if museum officials had no objections, they could pack them in ready-made boxes, have them sealed and cleared for export. Many objects now held in private collections or public museums originated here. After years of debate about the strategy for selling the antiquities, the sale room was closed in November 1979.
Beyond the fantastic statuary in the Great Hall are tens of thousands of pieces that were recovered from the very temples and tombs we visited in Luxor. For example, here is Queen Hatshepsut’s mask from Luxor, with her fake beard (the drag king!).
Here is a jackal that has the head of Anubis, the god of death, funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld.
Below is the golden shrine to Selket, the goddess of magic who has a scorpion upon her head.
Here we have the stunning Papyrus of Yuya, which has only been on display since 2018. It is a 60 foot long papyrus scroll that contains spells, incantations, advice, recipes, and all manner of things that the author found important to share. Social media in ancient Egypt!
Here is a status of Ramses. Ancient Egyptians thought that beards gave an impression of intelligence. A straight beard signifies (like below) the pharaoh was alive when the statue was crafted.
This is the dramatic head of King Userkaf, who built a temple dedicated to the sun. A new concept at the time.
Here we have King Mentuhotep Nebheptre. His black skin and the position of his arms associate him with Oriris, the god of death, fertility, and resurrection. This statue was found by chance by the famous explorer Howard Carter when he stumbled into a shaft while riding his horse.
These are called the Triads of King Kenkaura. The king is standing between the goddess of Hathor and another goddess. If you recall, we were in the Temple of Hathor in Dendera early in the trip. Also important to know is that the King here built the third pyramid on the Giza Plateau which was partly encased in granite brought all the way from the quarry in Aswan. Incredible.
Easy to lose track of things in this museum and maybe as overwhelming as the Louvre.
Sarcophagi are literally stacked in rooms here. Some of the more important ones are displayed in the main halls. This is the sarcophagus for Thuya who was Yuya’s (papyrus scroll earlier) wife.
Or you can slip around a corner into what you thought was the corridor to the bathrooms and see them here too.
Such a unique experience, and its days are numbered. The new Grand Egyptian Museum is now planned to open in 2024. Either way you can’t miss this if you’re here. To see such incredible antiquities in this setting when we had just seen many of the original settings was very fortunate.
