The One and Only GEM: First Look at the Grand Egyptian Museum

The winner, besting 1,557 competitors from 82 countries, was the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects who was tasked to create the world’s most impressive, ethically responsible and sustainable museum in order to house, display and preserve tens of thousands of ancient Egyptian treasures. Twenty years in the making, it is now complete. The $1 billion project comprises nearly half a million square feet of exhibition halls housing 100,000 objects.

The top of the building lies level with the Pyramids of Giza plateau and descends to the Nile Valley where the main entrance for visitors lies and are visible through the giant window as you ascend into the main museum.

Its construction timeline has been erratic and challenging, frustrating an anxious country facing political instability, a corresponding sharp drop in tourism (and revenue), the pandemic interruption and technical challenges. But with considerable assistance from Japan, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) finally opened to the public in October 2024, a mere three months prior to my visit.

The GEM is the world’s largest archaeological museum complex dedicated to a single civilization.

A 3200 year old, 82 ton statue of Ramses II welcomes visitors into the soaring atrium, six years after he arrived.

Fourteen of the sixteen galleries are open, and the Tutankhamun treasures, currently housed in the historic Egyptian Museum downtown, will soon be moved to their own two galleries.

Triangles of all colors and sizes decorate alabaster and glass facade, in a nod to ancient Egyptian art and design elements, such as the stones tiling the rectangular pools of the esplanade, are pyramidal. Gold cartouches blaze from floor to ceiling of the interior black marble entrance walls.

For GEM visitors, the museum’s site exerts a palpable presence. Arrival involves passing through two checkpoints and traversing a vast plaza, which the architect describes as a “series of layers.” The experiential quality of this open-air configuration cannot be overstated: soft desert breezes continuously waft throughout the space while the roof provides welcome shade, moderating the ambient air temperature.
…the GEM’s direct linkage of primary public spaces and galleries with the outdoors imparts a dynamism and freshness that elevate the overall visitor experience

architectmagazine.com

Galleries are arranged in three pillars: Society, Kingship and Beliefs, each of which is divided into four groups of periods.

The first combines Prehistoric, Predynastic, and Early Dynastic Periods together with the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period. The second covers the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period, the third covers the New Kingdom and the fourth covers the Third Intermediate and the Late and the Greco-Roman Periods all the way up to 394 AD.

Egyptian history is so vast in scope, but the GEM brilliantly organizes dynasties, periods and kingdoms for both the day-tripping novice or the post-doctoral Egyptologist! If for example, you’re only interested in Kingship and the pharaonic exhibits, a visitor can begin in Gallery 2 and walk the length of the building through the “Kingship” Galleries 5, 9 and 11.

Plan your visit by theme, or just wander and discover as I did. Enjoy this gallery of my favorites:

Great acoustics make for a surprisingly quiet and private visit. There are no maps. QR codes at specific information points are available for download. My guide took me on an orientation tour through all of the galleries providing an invaluable overview then left me to explore on my own, which was the perfect plan. Each display is well labeled (in English, Arabic and Braille),offering important specific information and key sections offer a broad scope on subjects.

Save time at the end of your visit to explore the unique offerings in the gift shops. There is not currently a GEM book detailing all of the exhibits but I was assured that one will be published as soon as all galleries are completed. It’s on my list!

Click here for GEM hours of operation and ticket purchases.