The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Tahrir Square. downtown, Cairo, Egypt Located at the edge of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the Egyptian Museum is a must-see on any Cairo tour. Opened in 1902, the building was built to house ancient Egyptian artifacts. Inside is the world’s largest collection of ancient Egyptian archaeological history. The address of the Egyptian Museum is Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. The Egyptian called the city center he Wust al-Balad, “the center of the city”. That’s because downtown is part of a city that’s bustling with life and activity. Cairo is sometimes called the “city that never sleeps” in Egypt, and so is downtown. It is not only the center of Cairo, but also the center of all living activities and facilities, as well as a cross-cultural hub. Downtown is famous for Midan Talat Herb and Midan Tahrir.

Museum contents and exhibits

Cairo’s Egyptian Museum houses over 120,000 artifacts, including the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb and most of his mummies discovered since the 19th century. The museum’s exhibits range from the beginning of the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt (about 2700 BC) to the Greco-Roman period. The building has two floors. On the ground floor, turn left at the entrance and walk through the museum to trace Egyptian history from the Old Kingdom to the Greco-Roman period. This provides a good background to most of Egypt’s ancient history. On the upper floors, the museum is organized thematically, with much of the area devoted to displaying the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb from the valley of the kings, including the famous funerary mask. Also on the upper floor is a room dedicated to the beautiful jewels found in the royal tombs of Tanis. Another he highlight of the museum, the Royal Mummy Room, requires a separate ticket purchase. Inside, see the mummies of some of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs, including Ramesses II, Seti I and Egypt’s only Queen Hatshepsut.

The museum has an overwhelming amount of attractions.

It suffers from the fact that much of the content has not been relabeled or reorganized since it was first placed on the case over a century ago. As a result, some sections provide little context for the artifact. Instead, captions are displayed in different languages ​​(French, English, Greek, German, Arabic). Difficulty navigating the exhibits is a common complaint from visitors and a reason why a guide is needed. The Egyptian Museum, also known as the Museum of Ancient Egyptian Civilization, houses one of the most important collections of antiquities in the world. Inside the walls of this majestic and ancient pink building in downtown Maidan Al Tahrir are the priceless treasures of King Tutankhamun and other great pharaohs of ancient Egypt, belonging to ancient Egyptians, mummies , jewels, bait bowls and, as the ancient Egyptians believed, kings to use in the afterlife.

Over 100,000 antique objects

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo houses a vast collection of relics, mummies, coffins, stones, ancient artifacts and even food items that were buried with the king before his death for use in the afterlife . As part of the ancient Egyptian beliefs and religions, the ancient Egyptians believed that the dead would be buried with all their belongings and that they would use their clothing and food when they passed on to the afterlife. Interestingly, the king was buried not only with his material possessions, but also with his “servants”. The museum’s collection is growing rapidly as archaeologists make new discoveries over time. For example, the huge tomb of Tutankhamun, which was discovered after the museum opened, and the astonishing discovery inside it, the object of the tomb of Tanis. Today, the museum houses more than 100,000 ancient artifacts. Some objects have been moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, but most are still in Tahrir’s main museums. The museum in Tahrir will remain the most important site for ancient Egyptian heritage even after the opening of the Great Museum. In 1835, the ruler of Egypt at the time, Muhammad Ali, completely banned the export of antiquities to protect the country’s heritage.

Old Kingdom Exhibit

The Old Kingdom period in ancient Egyptian history, also known as the “era of the pyramid builders”, was a very important period and left us with a great many remarkable relics and objects. Some of the most important achievements of this period are the Pyramids of Giza, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, the Pyramids of Dahshur, and the Pyramids of Abu His Sir. Part of the Old Kingdom is this statue of Khafre made out of alabaster. It is displayed in the second half of the first floor of the museum. The Egyptian Museum also has a huge collection of small statues of servants performing their daily duties and responsibilities as a representation of everyday life at the time.

Middle Kingdom exhibit:

The museum houses 10 of the most famous statues from the Middle Kingdom. The 10 statues represent Senosert I of the 12th Dynasty and are all made of limestone. The Middle Kingdom began in Egypt after the fall of the Old Kingdom, but it was by no means a great period in ancient Egyptian history. By the beginning of the 12th Dynasty, the living conditions of the ancient Egyptians Improved, much improved in art, industry, and even artifacts. However, as living conditions deteriorated, Egypt entered a period of transition as strife again broke out among the nobility. Such corruption and chaos lead to the Hyksos invading the land. King Ahmose was able to defeat the Hyksos and restore freedom to Egypt. Amose then founded the first dynasty of the New Kingdom, the 18th Dynasty.

you can visit the Egyptian museum during your Cairo tour with Al Sahel Travel