Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

Going to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Cairo, which can be found in historic Tahrir Square, is an experience in the true sense of the term because it takes one on a true trip through the history of a city almost five thousand years old. Ever since its opening in the year 1902, this museum is the original and the oldest Egyptian museum in the world, and it is an institution that over the generations has symbolized the core of pharaonic archeology. The striking array of statues, papyri, sarcophagi, royal mummies and daily articles which now hang in its galleries, the classic and almost undisturbed of whose remains has been gathered along the Nile, still tell the story of life on the Nile. Each room oozes the air of authenticity that is difficult to feel in other places, and it is impossible to pass by it without paying attention to it in the first place.

When you walk through its exhibit collections you have the feeling of magic of a museum which has amazed scholars, travellers and enthusiasts more than a century. Even after the rearrangement of the collections in recent years, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a crucial reference on the further development of excavation, studies discoveries of Ancient Egypt. The setting is one of its own: the low-key lighting, the grandiose sculptures and artefacts exhibited on historical backdrop that ensures the visitors are part of the great Egyptianological tradition.

One should, however, note that there has been a significant change that has occurred over the past several years namely the transfer of the so-called treasure of Tutankhamun which was previously one of the unquestionable icons of the Tahrir museum to the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza. This transformation is a new beginning of the history of Egyptian archeological heritage and provides the visitors with the entirely new experience.

The GEM that is only a few meters away as compared to the pyramids of Giza is a breakthrough in the manner in which the pharaonic history is displayed. It is among the largest archeological museums of the world, integrating technology, modern architecture and new exhibitions. With its monumental structure that is meant to engage in a visual dialogue with the Giza plateau, it hosts large exhibition spaces, an interactive space, restoration laboratories and themed routes that are designed to give a full, immersive view towards Ancient Egypt.

The Tutanchamun collection was the most remarkable thing about the GEM, and presented there in its complete form, first of all times. The items discovered in the tomb of the young pharaoh are in a systematic, academic and spectacular manner and enable the visitors to comprehend their historical, symbolic as well as artistic nature in a way never seen before. The visual effect is marvelous because of the free flow of space and the contemporary technologies that complement every detail.

To put it concisely, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir is the antique custodian of the Egyptian custom of tradition, a spot where time appears to have ceased and where you can experience a genuine experience that is full of ancient magnificence. In its turn, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza symbolizes the future: a revolutionary cultural centre that is going to provide the population with a fresh look at the pharaonic heritage. Going to both museums, one will get acquainted with two different souls of Egypt: history of the past that is still alive and the way the present looks.