The world’s largest museum has finally opened to the public, with an incredible gallery featuring rooms of ancient gold and a “cursed” coffin.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, which houses more than 100,000 artifacts, including King Tut’s iconic gold mask and sarcophagus, opened its doors on Saturday.
Located in Giza, Egypt, the megamuseum is home to some of the most precious archaeological finds in the world.
The launch of this impressive attraction comes after 20 years of work, with the project being ruined by several unexpected delays along the way.
It covers a staggering 500,000 square feet, making it the largest museum in the world. Land dedicated to a single civilization: ancient Egypt.
Visitors entered the museum last weekend through a spectacular alabaster arch, before being greeted by an impressive 83-tonne statue of Ramses II, dating back 3,200 years.
The new monument also features an impressive display of statues of ancient kings and gods.
And visitors have a stunning view of the pyramids, which are just a mile away.
Although some parts of the museum were already open, the King Tut galleries were postponed again this summer due to IsraelThe conflict with Iran.
The museum has twelve galleries containing art more than 3,000 years old.
Inside visitors can also find the dazzling treasures of Queen Hetepheres, the mother of the builder of the Great Pyramid, including her alabaster sarcophagus, furniture and jeweler’salong with King Khufu’s great cedarwood ship.
Construction of the site began in 2005, but was stopped during the Arab Spring in 2011.
Work resumed in 2014 and, a decade later, the museum finally opened its doors.
Tutankhamun’s collection was previously displayed in the ancient Egyptian museum in central Cairo, but was moved before the official opening of the new one in Giza.
Tutankhamun’s body remains in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.
The tomb was discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 after seven years of searching.
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb is associated with a dark curse.
Following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s remains, several figures associated with the expedition died under mysterious circumstances.
Among them was Lord Canarvon, the financial backer of the excavation team, who died from the bite of an infected mosquito.
Sir Archibald Douglas-Reid, who x-rayed the pharaoh’s remains, died from a mysterious illness.
Carter himself died in 1939 from Hodgkin’s disease, at the age of 64.
No royal tombs had been discovered since King Tut’s until February, when archaeologists discovered the burial site of King Tutmose II.
The large museum has been designed in a way that pays tribute to its historical surroundings.
Shaped like a beveled triangle, the museum is aligned with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure, and is built very close to the great structures.
The museum’s design was chosen through an international architectural competition in 2002 that attracted more than 1,500 submissions from around the world.
Who was King Tutankhamun?
HERE is everything you need to know about King Tut…
- King Tutankhamun is the most famous of the ancient pharaohs of Egypt.
- He ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, from 1332 to 1323 BC
- Tutankhamun is known as the “boy king” as he was only 10 years old when he was cast.
- When he became king, he married his half-sister Ankhesenpaaten. They had two daughters together but both were stillborn.
- Tutankhamun died at just 19 years old under mysterious circumstances
Some believe that King Tut was assassinated but most believe that his death was an accident. - The pharaoh is also famous for the supposed curse that haunts his tomb
- After the discovery of the tomb in 1922, archaeologists, and even their relatives, died from horrible diseases or in strange accidents, and some say the deaths were no coincidence.
And the winning design was a creation by Heneghan Peng Architects in Dublin, IrelandKnown for their unique and colossal designs.
Incredible plans for architecture. wonder It was first revealed in 1992 that Egypt’s then-president Hosni Mubarak secured a huge empty site near the Giza pyramids.
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However, construction could not begin until 2012, and the structural framework was completed in just three years, with the museum expected to open in 2018.
But several political and economic setbacks kept plans on hold…until this month.
