The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum is not only a cultural event, but also an important step for Egyptian tourism, which has suffered due to regional crises and the pandemic. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo has a chance to become one of the most important centers for research on ancient Egypt.
See also: Scandal in Egypt. A priceless artifact disappeared from the museum
The main attraction of the Grand Egyptian Museum is the complete collection from Tutankhamun's tomb, including the famous golden mask, throne and chariots of the pharaoh. As reported by the BBC, for the first time since the discovery of the tomb in 1922, all 5.5 thousand artifacts will be presented together. The museum also houses the 4,500-year-old Khufu funeral boat and monumental statues, including a 16-meter obelisk of Ramesses II.
Construction of the museum began in 2005, but the project faced many difficulties, including financial crises, the Arab Spring and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, GEM has become a symbol of Egyptian national pride. “It was my dream. I'm really happy that this museum has finally opened!” – says Dr. Zahi Hawass, former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, quoted by the BBC.
They had tickets but were not allowed in. Kilometer-long queues to the largest museum in the world
The Grand Egyptian Museum opened on November 1 with great pomp. Tourists could see 100,000 artifacts only from November 4, and already on the first day the facility was struggling with chaos.
On the first weekend, there were kilometers of queues at the entrance and ticket offices of the museum, and the facility suddenly stopped selling tickets. The maximum number of visitors has been reached.
Despite this, 18,000 people entered the museum on the first day. people. It is worth noting that the daily limit set by the Egyptian government is 14,000.
See also: Accident at the museum. The boy destroyed an artifact from over 3,000 years ago. years
The following day compounded the problems as the number of visitors rose to 26,000. Egyptian media, such as “Egypt Today”, reported that as many as 80,000 people tried to get inside. Many tourists who had valid tickets were not allowed into the museum.
Huge queues of tourists to enter the largest museum in the world mean long hours of waiting. For this reason, some travel agencies asked the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism to allocate them a special pool of tickets that would guarantee entry to the facility for foreign tourists.
As a result of the chaos and huge interest in the Cairo museum, the facility decided to introduce a new policy. It was announced that reservations and ticket purchases for Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays will only be available through the museum's official website. On-site ticket sales at the museum box office will be suspended during these periods, while online and on-site ticket sales will continue as usual on weekdays.
