The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Developments in the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) may try to steal some of the thunder from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, but the original museum will still retain its reputation no matter what. We recently wrote about the new exhibition set to open in Tahrir, showcasing ancient skulls and skeletons, and today we’re back with another piece of news boosting the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

Khaled El Enany, Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, has announced that there will be a 3-million Euro grant put in place for the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, in order to restore its glory and develop it to higher levels. This development plan is in collaboration with the Egyptian Museum of Berlin, the Egyptian Museum in Turin, London’s British Museum, and the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir houses an impressive record of 120,000 artefacts, beating most museums around the world in terms of numbers. However, one main problem which a lot of visitors and experts have highlighted is that perhaps the displays are a bit lacking. Some of the artefacts which may be left in storage at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir are often loaned to foreign museums. When abroad, such pieces get their own display room, while in Egypt, they’d be lucky to get a prime spot on a shelving unit.

We hope that the development plans will take such matters into account, focusing on the display factor of each individual piece. Certainly, this is quite a challenge due to the vast number of artefacts and the limited size of the museum. This may be made easier soon when some pieces get transferred to the much more spacious Grand Egyptian Museum. This will allow the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to focus on fewer artefacts, giving each piece the attention it deserves.

We certainly can’t wait to see GEM when it opens, but we’re also very excited to see how the Ministry develops the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. Old is gold, after all.