Museum · Giza
Grand Egyptian Museum
The world's largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilization, about 2 km from the Giza pyramids.
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The story
The museum was designed by the Dublin-based studio Heneghan Peng after an international architecture competition in the early 2000s, and cost roughly US$1 billion, financed largely by Japanese loans through JICA. It opened fully on 1 November 2025 after many years of planning and construction. Its galleries trace some 5,000 years of Egyptian history and hold more than 100,000 objects in all. In the Grand Hall, visitors meet a colossal red-granite statue of Ramesses II, then climb a grand staircase lined with royal statues to a window framing the pyramids. Tutankhamun's treasures, more than 5,000 objects, are shown in dedicated galleries, alongside Khufu's solar boat, about 4,500 years old.
Good to know
- The Ramesses II statue in the Grand Hall stands about 11 m tall, weighs about 83 tonnes and is roughly 3,200 years old.
- The Ramesses II colossus was moved into the museum's entrance hall in January 2018, almost seven years before the full opening.
- At the top of the Grand Staircase, large windows frame a view of the Giza pyramids.
- Tutankhamun's treasures, more than 5,000 objects, are shown together for the first time since his tomb was found in 1922.
- Japan's JICA financed the construction through two concessional loans (2008 and 2016) totalling about US$800 million.
Visiting tips
Please check before visiting. According to the official ticketing site, the complex is open 8:30-19:00 (Sun, Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) with galleries 9:00-18:00, and on Wed and Sat until 22:00 (galleries until 21:00); last entry is one hour before galleries close. Appropriate attire is required; flash, tripods and bags larger than 40x40 cm are not allowed. Tickets are single-entry and generally non-refundable. We recommend booking only through the official site.