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Tags : Museum

Timings : Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Thursday and Sunday: 9 AM to 9 PM

Time Required : Entire Day

Entry Fee : 50 LE

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Egyptian Museum, Cairo Overview

Built in the parts of downtown Cairo, the Egyptian Museum houses some of the rarest and most unique historical artefacts of the time. With a collection of roughly around 120,000 items, the Egyptian Museum is one of the largest museums in the region. It also holds the record of owning the world's largest collection of Pharaonic antiques.

The corridors and halls of the museum building, the gold death mask of Tutankhamun, Mummies, jewellery and many other historical artefacts serve as a medium to give you a sneak peek into one of the golden eras of Egyptian culture and civilisation. To achieve its vision, the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities has ongoing many initiatives for a long time. These initiatives bring together experience, knowledge and ideas from national and international soils, making achieving the objective more comfortable. If you are an enthusiast of history, visiting the museum will give you immense knowledge about the history of Egypt and its rulers.

Museum History

Initially established by the Egyptian government, the Egyptian Museum was set up at Boulaq in the year 1858. This also led to the foundation of the new Antiquities Department. The museum building used to be on the banks of Nile River but suffered huge losses during the flood in the Nile in the year 1878.

The artefacts which were restored successfully after the flood were moved to a royal palace in Giza in the year 1891, and were finally moved to the current location of the museum at Tahrir Square in Cairo city.

However, the revolution of 2011 led to the damage and destruction of a lot of artefacts and other collected items, including damage to the building as well. Out of the things which got damaged, around 25 were restored, and put on display as part of an exhibition, namely ?Damaged and Restored?. Since then, the museum has displayed

Museum Layout

Once you reach the museum, you will be welcomed by collections and artefacts dating to the period from 1550 to 1069 BC, the New Kingdom. Large statues, coffins, tables, coins and pieces of manuscripts are present right in front of your post clearing the security check. Most of the manuscripts have decayed due to ageing, but the coins are restored very well and are made of gold, silver and bronze.

The 1st floor of the building exhibits artefacts from the last two dynasties of Egypt. This includes the collections from the Valley of the Kings and the Tombs of Pharaohs Thutmosis-III, Thutmosis-IV, Amenophis-II and Hatshepsut. The floor displays materials discovered from the intact Tombs of Tutankhamun as well as Psusennes-I as well. These exhibitions are bound to give you a tour of ancient Egypt and the skills owned by artisans of those times.

Noteworthy Artefacts

If you are standing right within the building of Egyptian Museum in Cairo, you ought to visit some of the notable artefacts and collection items present in the museum. You may think of it in the sense that your visit to the museum will be incomplete without seeing the following items:

Gold Death Mask of Tutankhamun

Since the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun in the year 1922, the gold death mask of the young ruler has been preserved with the utmost care over the years. The mask, as well as the Tomb, is a gaping mouth sight in itself, with illustrations of Egyptian gods and goddesses inscribed on the outer walls of the Tomb.

After looking at the mask and the Tomb of King Tut, you will be bound to believe the pride taken by Egyptians in their skillset and culture of the time. The death mask of King Tut is especially one of the major attractions of the museum for the visitors, so you are going to find a lot of people buzzing around the gold mask and the Tomb.

Inlaid Diadem with Vulture and Cobra Uraeus

Made up of materials like gold, obsidian, glass, carnelian, malachite, chalcedony and lapis-lazuli, the artefact was discovered from the Tomb of Tutankhamun by famous archaeologist Howard Carter.

At the time of discovery, the diadem was worn by the mummy of Tutankhamun. With goddesses Wadjet (Cobra) and Nekhbet (Vulture) in the front, and cobra's tail undulating along the circumference of the diadem, it is an informal crown discovered dating to the Egyptian era.

Emblem of Anubis

The upper part of this emblem is made out of wood, and further overlaid with coatings of gilded and gesso. The artefact consists of names of the kings which were given life forever through the epithet ?mry impw imy wt?, which implies the message ?beloved of Anubis who presides over the embalming booth?.

The structure represents a pole ending inside a lotus bud, with an animal skin suspended from the pole ending in a papyrus flower. The base of the structure consists of a solid alabaster pot, which holds the pole in a firm position. This artefact was discovered from inside the chamber of the Tomb of Tutankhamun and is a perfect masterpiece of artisanship of Egyptian New Kingdom.

Museum Timings

You can visit the Egyptian Museum on any day of the week, but as per the official timings of the museum for the public. Generally, the Museum timings are:

Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Thursday and Sunday: 9 AM to 9 PM

How to Reach

Car
In case you wish to go to the museum by road, you can book a taxi or hire a car for the day. Once you have access to the wheel, all you need to do is to head straight towards the Museum situated at Tahrir Square in Cairo city.

Subway
To reach the Museum via Subway, you need to deboard the metro at Sadat Station. Once you have reached Sadat, the Egyptian Museum lies at a walking distance of 0.4 Km north of the station only. This will save a lot of time from the traffic jams of the city.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the Egyptian Museum is during the spring season. This is because there are chances of snowfall in Cairo during the winter season. As a result of bad weather conditions, the museum is likely to be shut down for temporary time periods. And we don't want to spoil your vacations by suggesting you to go to the museum when it is closed!

Besides, we also don't want you to face the tormenting heat of the Sahara during summertime, just for the sake of visiting the museum. Hence, visiting the museum during the beginning months of the year allows you to enjoy the weather as well.

Tips

Carry some books containing the history of the artefacts placed in the museum. This will help you select which artefacts and items you want to visit first in the museum as per your interest.

Interesting Fact

The Egyptian Museum exhibits the famous Gold Death Mask of Tutankhamun.

Read More on Egyptian Museum

How to Reach

Car
In case you wish to go to the museum by road, you can book a taxi or hire a car for the day. Once you have access to the wheel, all you need to do is to head straight towards the Museum situated at Tahrir Square in Cairo city.

Subway
To reach the Museum via Subway, you need to deboard the metro at Sadat Station. Once you have reached Sadat, the Egyptian Museum lies at a walking distance of 0.4 Km north of the station only. This will save a lot of time from the traffic jams of the city.

Tips

Carry some books containing the history of the artefacts placed in the museum. This will help you select which artefacts and items you want to visit first in the museum as per your interest.

Noteworthy Artefacts

If you are standing right within the building of Egyptian Museum in Cairo, you ought to visit some of the notable artefacts and collection items present in the museum. You may think of it in the sense that your visit to the museum will be incomplete without seeing the following items:

Gold Death Mask of Tutankhamun

Since the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun in the year 1922, the gold death mask of the young ruler has been preserved with the utmost care over the years. The mask, as well as the Tomb, is a gaping mouth sight in itself, with illustrations of Egyptian gods and goddesses inscribed on the outer walls of the Tomb.

After looking at the mask and the Tomb of King Tut, you will be bound to believe the pride taken by Egyptians in their skillset and culture of the time. The death mask of King Tut is especially one of the major attractions of the museum for the visitors, so you are going to find a lot of people buzzing around the gold mask and the Tomb.

Inlaid Diadem with Vulture and Cobra Uraeus

Made up of materials like gold, obsidian, glass, carnelian, malachite, chalcedony and lapis-lazuli, the artefact was discovered from the Tomb of Tutankhamun by famous archaeologist Howard Carter.

At the time of discovery, the diadem was worn by the mummy of Tutankhamun. With goddesses Wadjet (Cobra) and Nekhbet (Vulture) in the front, and cobra's tail undulating along the circumference of the diadem, it is an informal crown discovered dating to the Egyptian era.

Emblem of Anubis

The upper part of this emblem is made out of wood, and further overlaid with coatings of gilded and gesso. The artefact consists of names of the kings which were given life forever through the epithet ?mry impw imy wt?, which implies the message ?beloved of Anubis who presides over the embalming booth?.

The structure represents a pole ending inside a lotus bud, with an animal skin suspended from the pole ending in a papyrus flower. The base of the structure consists of a solid alabaster pot, which holds the pole in a firm position. This artefact was discovered from inside the chamber of the Tomb of Tutankhamun and is a perfect masterpiece of artisanship of Egyptian New Kingdom.

Museum History

Initially established by the Egyptian government, the Egyptian Museum was set up at Boulaq in the year 1858. This also led to the foundation of the new Antiquities Department. The museum building used to be on the banks of Nile River but suffered huge losses during the flood in the Nile in the year 1878.

The artefacts which were restored successfully after the flood were moved to a royal palace in Giza in the year 1891, and were finally moved to the current location of the museum at Tahrir Square in Cairo city.

However, the revolution of 2011 led to the damage and destruction of a lot of artefacts and other collected items, including damage to the building as well. Out of the things which got damaged, around 25 were restored, and put on display as part of an exhibition, namely ?Damaged and Restored?. Since then, the museum has displayed

Museum Layout

Once you reach the museum, you will be welcomed by collections and artefacts dating to the period from 1550 to 1069 BC, the New Kingdom. Large statues, coffins, tables, coins and pieces of manuscripts are present right in front of your post clearing the security check. Most of the manuscripts have decayed due to ageing, but the coins are restored very well and are made of gold, silver and bronze.

The 1st floor of the building exhibits artefacts from the last two dynasties of Egypt. This includes the collections from the Valley of the Kings and the Tombs of Pharaohs Thutmosis-III, Thutmosis-IV, Amenophis-II and Hatshepsut. The floor displays materials discovered from the intact Tombs of Tutankhamun as well as Psusennes-I as well. These exhibitions are bound to give you a tour of ancient Egypt and the skills owned by artisans of those times.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the Egyptian Museum is during the spring season. This is because there are chances of snowfall in Cairo during the winter season. As a result of bad weather conditions, the museum is likely to be shut down for temporary time periods. And we don't want to spoil your vacations by suggesting you to go to the museum when it is closed!

Besides, we also don't want you to face the tormenting heat of the Sahara during summertime, just for the sake of visiting the museum. Hence, visiting the museum during the beginning months of the year allows you to enjoy the weather as well.

Interesting Fact

The Egyptian Museum exhibits the famous Gold Death Mask of Tutankhamun.

Museum Timings

You can visit the Egyptian Museum on any day of the week, but as per the official timings of the museum for the public. Generally, the Museum timings are:

Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Thursday and Sunday: 9 AM to 9 PM

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