Preparations for Grand Egyptian Museum opening all set, with hopes for a historic event

After repeated delays, Egypt has almost finalised preparations for the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), by far its most important cultural and heritage project, on 1 November.

The preparations have focused on logistics, artefact readiness, and international diplomacy, spanning all official levels.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has chaired multiple meetings to review progress, including a key meeting on 25 October with the prime minister, the minister of tourism and antiquities and the supervisor of the official opening ceremony.

These meetings come as the Egyptian government pledges to organise a ceremony that matches the importance of the event and the greatness of Egyptian civilisation.

"Everybody is on tenterhooks to witness this event, and Egypt's organisation of it will be up to everybody's highest expectation," Ashraf al-Azazi, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Culture, the executive arm of the Ministry of Culture, told The New Arab.

"International interest in the event is manifested in the large number of dignitaries who will attend it from all parts of the world," he added.

Most discussions ahead of the museum's opening focused on inter-ministerial collaboration to meet global standards and highlight Egypt's heritage.

On 26 October, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, meeting with his ministry officials, pledged to hold an opening ceremony that reflects the richness of Egypt's heritage.

Promoted by the Egyptian government as Egypt's 'gift to the world', the GEM celebrates this country's Pharaonic legacy at a time of high regional and international turmoil.

Sophisticated preparations for the facility's opening and the media hype this opening is generating are also seen by some observers as part of the Egyptian government's efforts to counter narratives of economic decline and project stability and ambition.

It tries to project this image through a facility that symbolises Egypt's modernisation and blends cutting-edge technology with ancient heritage.

Opening itinerary 

The GEM has been closed to the public since 15 October. It will remain so until 3 November to allow teams to finalise installations, including the galleries of Tutankhamen, which will feature over 5,400 artefacts.

Nearly all the main 12 exhibition halls, which cover prehistory and the Greco-Roman eras, are complete, with themes on kingship, society, and beliefs.

The Grand Hall, Grand Staircase, which features the Hanging Obelisk and Ramesses II statue, commercial areas, cafés, and landscaped gardens with pyramid views, has been polished for visitors who will be allowed into the facility as of 4 November.

Interactive displays, a conference hall, and the children's museum are also ready, supported by staff training programmes completed earlier in 2025.

On 14 October, fireworks displays were tested at the Giza Pyramids in preparation for the opening.

The government has also announced 1 November as a paid public holiday for the nation's workers to ease logistics for foreign delegations and allow Egyptians to celebrate. The Ministry of Education has also given millions of school pupils the day off.

On 24 October, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities also unveiled the GEM's official website for ticket sales, virtual tours, and updates.

The area surrounding the museum has undergone a complete overhaul, which the Prime Minister, Moustafa Madbouli, inspected on 13 September.

It included the construction of a new tourist walkway connecting the museum to the Giza Pyramids to enhance visitor flow and safety between the two.

Giza province authorities continue, meanwhile, to pave roads across the province, especially those leading to and from the museum. Efforts in this regard also include lighting projects and sanitation upgrades.

These works take place as a marketing campaign is launched to promote the GEM as a tourism booster, aiming to attract millions of visitors annually, amid a national plan to raise the number of tourists visiting Egypt to 30 million annually by 2030, from 15.7 million tourists in 2024.

Such efforts, Giza officials say, aim to boost the museum's visitor experience and provide insights into the extent of modernisation that swept through Egypt in recent years.

"This modernisation can be seen in all aspects of our country's life," Hend Abdelhaleem, the deputy Giza governor, told TNA. "The museum is only one facet of this modernisation, but there is also a complete upgrade of the nation's infrastructure that went hand in hand with the construction of a huge number of new hotels and tourist paths."

Will it be an event to remember?

The official opening ceremony of the museum is expected to last for three days for world leaders, dignitaries, kings, heads of state, and cultural figures. It will pave the road for full public access to the facility on 4 November.

It will be held at the GEM site, leveraging the iconic backdrop of the Giza Pyramids for immersive experiences.

The main opening ceremony, scheduled for 1 November, will last 2 hours starting at 7:30 PM local time.

The ceremony will be exclusively streamed on GEM's official TikTok channel for global audiences, enabling real-time viewing for those unable to attend in person.

Giant screens will broadcast it live in public squares across Giza and Hurghada for communal celebrations. One of these screens is placed outside Cairo University in Gaza.

The list of confirmed attendees includes, so far, a wide range of international dignitaries, including the president of Germany, the king of the Netherlands, the king and queen of Spain, and Princess Akiko of Mikasa of Japan.

Most details of the official opening ceremony of the museum remain under wraps, apparently in the Egyptian authorities' bid to build anticipation.

Nevertheless, preparations indicate a sophisticated blend of tradition and innovation.

This blend will most likely feature the ceremonial transfer or unveiling of key artefacts, such as Tutankhamen's 23-carat gold death mask and the towering 3,200-year-old statue of Ramesses II in the Grand Hall.

There will be musical and artistic displays that draw on Pharaonic themes, possibly including live orchestras, dance troupes in period costumes, or immersive projections on the museum's facade.

The museum's opening ceremony is also expected to feature addresses by President Sisi and international guests, focusing on Egypt's role as a cradle of civilisation and the GEM's global significance.

National pride

Often described as the "world's largest archaeological museum", the GEM is a cornerstone of cultural, economic, and national significance.

It houses over 100,000 artefacts, including 5,400 from Tutankhamen's tomb. Most of those artefacts are displayed for the first time.

Located only a few hundred metres from the Giza Pyramids, the museum will replace the overcrowded Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, offering state-of-the-art conservation to protect relics from Egypt's millennia-old history.

With 12 exhibition halls, the museum positions Egypt as a global leader in showcasing its ancient civilisation.

The Arab country pins a lot of hope on the new facility to boost tourism, which contributed 24% of the national GDP in 2023.

The museum is expected to draw millions annually, rivalling sites like the Louvre.

The project has also created thousands of jobs, from construction to curatorial roles, and has provided training programmes for young Egyptians in archaeology and restoration.

The $1 billion price tag of the project—triple the initial estimate—and years-long delays drew criticism amid Egypt's economic struggles. Yet, the government sees it as a long-term investment.

This comes as specialists expect the museum to become a strategic asset for Egypt's economy, identity, and global standing.

By centralising Egypt's antiquities and leveraging its tourism sector, the same specialists say, the museum is poised to cement the Arab country's role as a guardian of human history.

"This is a huge landmark that uniquely distinguishes itself by standing so close to the Giza Pyramids and also by being the largest archaeological museum in the world," leading Egyptologist and former minister of antiquities Zahi Hawass told TNA.

"Despite its economic hardships, Egypt has constructed this museum, preserved antiquities and invited everybody to the inauguration of the museum to send a message that this civilisation belongs to everybody, not only to the Egyptians," he added.