Over 100,000 precious artifacts from prehistoric times through the ancient Roman period in Egypt are now on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which officially opened to the public on Tuesday.
As the world's largest museum dedicated to a single civilization, the GEM displays the complete set of over 5,000 items related to the boy-king Tutankhamun. Additionally, it exhibits the restored colossal statue of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and King Khufu's solar ship.
The 12-meter colossus of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II was the first artifact to enter the GEM and remains the largest piece in the collection. Its expression still conveys the confidence, power and expansion of the New Kingdom period in Egypt.
The golden mask of Tutankhamun has drawn large crowds of visitors. While photography had prohibited at its previous place of exhibit, museum goers are now free to snap pictures of the iconic artifact.
"[The mask contains] 11 kilograms of gold. But that's not what's important about it. It's the hands that made it. It is the thought. It is how you melt, how you actually shape, how you hold the hammer, how you put even semi-precious stones inside gold, and then it all lasts for 3300 years," said Egyptologist Bassam el Shammaa.
The masterwork behind the solar ship is equally impressive. The ancient Egyptians built this ritual vessel that burying it beside the pyramid would carry the pharaoh's soul to ascend with the sun god Ra into the divine realm, achieving eternal life.
Dating back 4,500 years, it ranks among the oldest and largest ancient ships ever discovered.
"[King Khufu's solar ship contains] over 1200 pieces of wood, not one nail. No glue, no adhesive-force materials. [Just] ropes and wood. And then you are talking about over 41 meters long. Now let me very quickly tell you that the [second] longest ship in [ancient] history ever is 37 meters long. So we are talking about a boat of organic materials, organic material is the greatest exhibited organic artifact anywhere in the world," said el Shammaa.
These and many other treasures of ancient Egypt are finally open to public viewing after more than two decades of the museum's construction.
Spanning nearly 500,000 square meters, the GEM marks a significant milestone in Egypt's long effort to preserve and promote its archaeological legacy.
In addition to acting as a major catalyst for Egypt's tourism sector, it also serves as a hub for scientific research and restoration, housing one of the Middle East's largest and most advanced conservation and restoration centers.
Construction began in 2005, but the project faced numerous delays over the years due to political instability and funding challenges.
Grand Egyptian Museum opening brings iconic artifacts together for public display
