Some hope that a key object will be in the collections of the Grand Egyptian Museum when it opens. Thousands are clamoring for the Rosetta Stone to be returned to Egypt, reports The Times. This incredibly important bit of stone unearthed in 1799 was the key to understanding and translating ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics since it contains the same text rendered in three different ways (Demotic, Greek and in hieroglyphics). Language specialist Jean-François Champollion of France began the process of decoding the stone soon after its discovery. The circumstances around its being spirited out of Egypt are sketchy (there are stories of its seizure and its being hidden under carpets), but at any rate it was brought to England aboard the captured French ship HMS Egyptienne in 1802. Since then, Egypt has repeatedly asked for it back. Most recently, famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass has renewed the claim with fervor, since its return would be the capstone for the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Hawass’s petition has been signed by more than 110,000 Egyptians.
It’s no understatement to say that the Grand Egyptian Museum (acronymed the GEM) is the world’s most anticipated museum. Although there had been optimistic hope that it would open on either Nov. 4, the 100th anniversary of King Tutankhamen’s tomb’s discovery by archaologist Howard Carter, or Nov. 22, the day the tomb was officially opened, both dates passed without an announcement from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. But fingers crossed that announcement will come soon!
What is the GEM?
The first-ever facility to house the pharaoh Tutankhamen's artifacts as a stand-alone museum, removing them from the Egyptian Museum, also in Cairo, where they were displayed among objects and mummies from a dizzying array of dynasties. Objects from other museums and storage spaces in Egypt will also be gathered together to create a collection of approximately 5,000 pieces taken from Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Thebes.
Where is it?
It sits on the desert plateau between the pyramids of Giza and the bustling streets of Cairo.
How do we know it’s poised to open?
As reported by the National News, a limited number of guests have been allowed inside before the museum officially opens (lucky people!).
Another tip-off?
The new Sphinx International Airport, designed to usher in international visitors to the GEM and allow day trip visitors from the Red Sea beaches, began operating Nov. 1. The airport’s two terminals are dedicated to tourism and will be able to handle 1.2 million passengers a year.
What does Downton Abbey have to do with Tutankhamen?
Lord Carnarvon of England financed Howard Carter’s dig that resulted in finding Tutankhamen’s tomb. His home is Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey films.
So Howard Carter discovered the tomb?
English archaeologist Howard Carter is credited for discovering Tutankhamen’s tomb, yet in more recent years credit has been given to the 12-year-old Egyptian boy Hussein Abdel Rassoul for actually finding that first step in the sand.
Any cool details about the GEM?
Entry within the GEM to the Tutankhamen Gallery is via a suspended bridge that leads to a dark space replicating the tomb.
Where were the Tut objects kept before the GEM was built?
In the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square, Cairo. As late as the 1990s, the old museum was not electrified, which was actually pretty cool in terms of creating beautiful shadows on ancient objects. The famous pharaoh's antiquities were in an area set aside for them but seemed to battle for floor space in the wonderfully-cluttered warehouse of a museum.
What will take the place of Tut’s objects?
Now that the Tutankhamen artifacts have been moved to the GEM, the old museum at Tahrir Square will instead display the Tanis collection of more than 2,000 artifacts (you remember the Tanis map room from Raiders of the Lost Ark?) As reported by Egypt Today, some standouts of that collection are rare silver coffins and the 22nd dynasty mask of Sheshonq II.
How did the GEM come to be built?
The world’s second largest international design competition was held to create this sleek, modern facility, and Irish firm called Heneghan Peng Architects won. US firm Hill International was selected as the project manager for the massive project, and its CEO Raouf Ghali told Time Out that the museum will display 100,000 artifacts, "most of which the world has never seen before." The objects have been stored in conservation areas, and while the GEM is not yet open, its conservation teams have already been working on objects on-site for several years.
How big is the GEM?
The exhibit space devoted to Egyptian artifacts constitutes the equivalent of four football fields and includes the enormous Solar Boat of Khufu found in 1954 and excavated in 2011.
We hear the entry is cool?
A jaw-dropping atrium space contains a colossal striding figure of Rameses II, his crown coming close to the ceiling. It was installed on the site in 2019 and the building was then constructed around the statue.
Will the boy king's mummy be on display at the GEM?
Yes, says Mr. Ghali. That was a contentious topic as Tutankhamen has long rested in-situ in his Valley of the Kings tomb, within his innermost sarcophagus. Since the earliest days, a viewing platform allows visitors to enter the tomb and look down on the glass-covered sarcophagus, but concern over insects infiltrating the wood and gilt led to talk of his being moved to the GEM more than 300 miles away, a tough journey for a fragile mummy as well as an ethical concern. In 2019, the question was put to a vote of a worldwide gathering of 600 Egyptologists. As of February, he was still in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings without his sarcophagus, and with his head and feet exposed in a manner many would deem disrespectful. Mr. Ghali says when Tutankhamen begins the trek to Cairo, he will be treated with appropriate care. "The current administration does honor the mummies," he says. "Any movement of them, they do give them the respect that kings should have."
What’s causing the delay in opening the GEM?
The GEM was supposed to open back in 2020 and eventually attract 7 million visitors per year, but the launch was delayed by the Arab Spring and by the pandemic, says Mr. Ghali of Hill International.
Was it expensive to build?
Its cost has also risen from $550 million to $1 billion, as reported by blooloop.
So, more on that Rosetta stone issue?
Egypt’s been long-beleaguered by Western theft, but thankfully an international conversation is underway regarding sending looted artifacts back to their countries of origin. For instance, despite a nearly century-long plea to Berlin's Neues Museum to return the famous long-necked bust of Tutankhamen's stepmother Nefertiti (but not found within his tomb), the museum doubled down and built a new rotunda room to better display her. Back when he was Minister of State for Egyptian Antiquities, Zahi Hawass asked for the loan of the object to join the collections of the GEM. When refused, he renewed the call for its outright return. Similarly, the British Museum won't let go of the Rosetta Stone, nor the Louvre its Dendera Zodiac bas-relief in spite of Hawass's efforts.
How will we know when it’s officially open?
When the Grand Egyptian Museum opens, it will be one of the proudest moments for a country whose history has captured the world's long admiration. Its opening date will be officially announced by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, accompanied by much fanfare.