Egypt’s anticipated national project, the Grand Egyptian Museum, is set to open at the end of 2020, revealed Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El Enany.
Moreover, the museum’s initial ticket pricing for foreigners has been set to 400 EGP ($US 25), 200 EGP for students ($US 12.5) according El Watan and Daily News Egypt.
The Minister had formerly announced that the entrance ticket would amount to 30 EGP ($US 1.9) while a comprehensive ticket giving access to the complete museum would be 60 EGP ($US 3.75) for Egyptian nationals.
Currently, Egyptians pay 20 EGP ($US 1.25) at the Cairo Museum, while students enjoy a discounted rate of 5 EGP ($US 0.3), and 40 EGP ($US 2.5) and 20 EGP for students for the mummy hall.
Alternatively, price tickets for foreigners are 160 EGP ($US 10) for the entrance to the museum, students can pay 80 EGP ($US 5) and 180 EGP ($US 11.25) for the mummy hall, with a discounted rate of 90 EGP ($US 5.6) for foreign students.
The museum’s development, which had been delayed for several years due to logistics and a shortage of financial resources, now ranks high on the governmental agenda with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi urging for the construction project, spearheaded by Orascom, to meet its deadline.
In a bid to present the museum as ‘Egypt’s gift to the world’ and the ‘largest archeological museum in the world’ , authorities are hoping the opening ceremony will be attended by kings and presidents from several countries.
The museum, which is also equipped with restoration and conservation labs, will serve to house a plethora of Egypt’s archeological treasures, many of which moved from Tahrir’s iconic Cairo Museum, including the Tutankhamun mask and collection.
Over 50,000 artifacts have been transferred to the GEM, a neighbor to Cairo’s famous Great Pyramids located on the Giza plateau, so far.
According to Egyptian officials, the museum will display the course of development of Egypt’s civilization over the centuries, from its Predynastic history to the Greco-Roman period.
The royal Egyptian mummies, however, will be housed in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization located in El Fustat.
It was also revealed that the construction of the GEM aims to boost tourism and increase job opportunities related to the tourism sector.
The last opportunity was especially cemented through the construction of the Sphinx International Airport, serving the Giza and Al Haram districts. It is meant to facilitate the idea of one-day tours in which tourists would be able to visit the Giza Plateau and the GEM easily.
Featured image: The Guardian/ Alamy.
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