Join art historian Peter Kováč and the wonders of ancient Egypt at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the pyramids of Giza. This location is a popular destination not only for Czech tourists and the museum is already being talked about as one of the world's most important attractions and a model example of a state-of-the-art museum exhibition.
Author of the unique six-volume book series The Cathedral Builders and founder of the popular art travel portal www.stavitele-katedral.cz returned from a personal visit to Egypt only a short time ago. We ask for his fresh impressions in the following interview.
Grand Egyptian Museum
„The Great Egyptian Museum, built at a cost of more than a billion dollars, is a true miracle,“ smiles PhDr. Peter Kováč, who went here as part of his profession as one of the first Czechs shortly after the opening of the museum at the end of last year. „It is as if a giant spaceship had landed on the edge of the desert, just a few kilometres from the famous pyramids of Giza, and brought back the most precious things that have survived from the former glory of ancient Egypt.“
There is practically nothing to reproach the authors of the building and the exposition. The magnificent and airy exhibition spaces allow for a natural dispersion of the crowds of visitors, the architecture is breathtaking and built with sensitivity to both the intimate and monumental works of ancient Egyptian artists. There's even an entire „street“ dedicated to restaurants and bars for jaded onlookers. It's dominated by a place where you can eat just about anything for $17.
The ticket is valid for the whole day, so you can easily return from the restaurant to further discover the secrets of ancient Egyptian art. The only thing I missed here is a representative bookstore dedicated to Egyptology. The souvenir shops offer nothing of the sort. For example, I was looking forward to flip through Miroslav Verner's latest book on the pyramids, which was published in an expanded and revised form in English a few years ago. However, the offer of specialist literature is almost nil.
Unfortunately, there is no scientific catalogue of the exhibition or at least a small illustrated tourist guide with a selection of the main exhibits. However, this is the only complaint. Everything else in the Great Egyptian Museum is of the highest possible standard.
Ramses II welcomes visitors in the entrance area.
„Right in the entrance area, the viewer is greeted by the colossal likeness of Pharaoh Ramesses II - a granite statue 11 metres high and weighing 83 tonnes. Its size makes the visitor tangibly aware of the gigantic dimensions of the museum's entrance atrium,“ continues Peter Kováč.
„From the statue, I headed to King Khufu's Sun Ship, a large wooden vessel about 4,500 years old, found at the Great Pyramid of Giza. The state of preservation is almost miraculous. The ship measures over 43 metres long and 6 metres wide. It is assembled without the use of a single nail from more than a thousand pieces of cedar wood imported to Egypt from Lebanon. State-of-the-art climate stability systems are in place to protect this precious exhibit.“
The ship is deservedly given a separate building within the vast museum grounds. The organisers were obviously inspired by the presentation of the famous Swedish ship Vasa in Stockholm - you can walk around the entire pharaoh's ship on special ramps at different height levels and see it in detail.
Experts are now restoring the second Chufu ship on the museum premises, which should be on display sometime in 2027 or 2028.
But go on...
After the Grand Staircase, the viewer moves to the historical exhibition. You can use the escalators or weave your way up the stairs between dozens of statues of pharaohs and Egyptian gods to the glass wall at the top, where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the pyramids of Giza.
From there, the journey continues to the art historical exhibition, which traces five thousand years of Egyptian civilization from the first royal dynasty to the time of Queen Cleopatra. The exhibits are divided into twelve separate galleries located in a huge open space and chronologically lead the visitor from the Old Kingdom through the Middle and New Empires to the Ptolemaic period.
The highlight of the programme
The biggest attraction of the museum is undoubtedly the section dedicated to Tutankhamun. While in the old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square the collection was presented only selectively and in cramped conditions, in the new museum the young pharaoh has a space the size of a football field at his disposal.
For the first time in history, everything Howard Carter discovered in 1922 is on display - from the famous gold mask to the gilded coffins to the shriveled flowers in the sarcophagus. The exhibits are protected by state-of-the-art „gallery“ glass with minimal reflections, so that the viewer almost has a sense of direct contact with the objects.
The whole installation is extremely sensitive and sophisticated. The exposition is not overwhelmed by texts or digital effects, the main role is played by the artworks and archaeological finds themselves, which speak about their time.
Some practical advice at the end
The Great Egyptian Museum displays a number of exhibits that were previously stored only in the depositories. Yet many of the iconic artefacts remain in the old Egyptian Museum in central Cairo, which today enjoys a quieter atmosphere thanks to the outflow of visitors.
Attention should be paid to time tickets to GEM. A paper receipt is not enough, a QR code is required. Tickets are practically impossible to buy on site and the system does not allow any exceptions.
The best way to get to the museum is by taxi. BOLT does not work here, UBER does. It is advisable to arrange your return journey in advance and always check the price in advance.
„Despite my aversion to the desert sand and Cairo smog, I know today that I would love to return to the Great Egyptian Museum in Giza,“ Peter Kováč concludes his report for our editorial office.
Ivan Cerny
Illustration photo by Peter Kováč
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