Delays to the GEM

The long-anticipated official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum has been postponed to later this year
Despite its near completion and its having already hosted several high-profile events after its soft opening to the public in 2023, the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), originally scheduled for 3 July, has been postponed in the wake of current regional developments until late in 2025.
Across more than two decades and since its foundation stone was laid in 2002, the GEM's completion and official opening have been hindered by an epidemic, financial crises, political upheavals, and, lately, regional instability.
Plans for the GEM were first unveiled in 1992, when a site was allocated just 2 km from the iconic Giza Pyramids for what would become one of the most ambitious cultural projects in Egypt's modern history.
In 2002, the foundation stone for the GEM project was laid on a prime site overlooking the Pyramids of Giza. That same year, the Egyptian state working with the UN cultural agency UNESCO and the International Union of Architects announced an international architectural competition for the best museum design for the GEM.
The winning proposal came from the Irish architectural firm Heneghan Peng Architects.
Between 2005 and 2010, the site was prepared, and a high-tech conservation centre was built, funded by the Egyptian government. However, following the 2011 Revolution work on the project came to a halt. Construction officially began again in 2012 after a joint venture between Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries and the Belgium BESIX Group was awarded the contract for completion of the GEM's third phase, which included the construction of the museum's main building and landscaping.
In 2014, the project was resumed with the help of a $300 million soft loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In 2015, the concrete shell of the main building was completed.
At the time, the target opening date was 2018, but a series of political and economic challenges caused repeated delays, pushing back the long-awaited inauguration and the construction slowed down. By 2016, only 20 per cent of the museum had been completed.
Another $460 soft loan agreement was then signed between the JICA and the ministries of antiquities and international cooperation to complete the GEM construction work within the scheduled time.
Progress surged, bringing the museum to approximately 95 per cent completion, but the official opening, scheduled in 2020, was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Work continued and the museum saw a soft opening in 2023.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said that the present circumstances in the region called for reconsidering the inauguration's timing to preserve the efforts required to deliver the event at the most opportune moment.
He stressed that the upcoming opening would be a historic and pivotal event for Egypt and the world and therefore must take place under ideal conditions.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities emphasised that the postponement aligns with Egypt's national responsibility to present an event of global stature and one that reflects the grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilisation and showcases the country's heritage to the world in a manner befitting its international standing.
Despite the delay, the GEM will remain open to visitors as part of its ongoing soft opening phase. The museum has already begun welcoming guests to selected exhibitions, offering a preview of what will become the world's largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilisation.
Built on 500,000 square metres, the GEM, with its trapezoidal architectural design and distinguished external walls, offers an enormous panoramic view of the Giza Plateau. It houses objects from ancient Egypt, beginning with prehistory and going up to the early Roman period. Among the objects on display will be the unique treasures of the boy king Tutankhamun, some of which will see the light of day for the first time.
The museum's main galleries offer visitors an unprecedented journey through ancient Egyptian civilisation. With 12 galleries organised into four broad time periods and three thematic pillars of Society, Kingship, and Beliefs, visitors are invited to explore Egyptian history in multiple ways.
The star of the museum will be the Tutankhamun galleries, which will put on show the whole funerary collection of the golden boy-king that consists of 5,537 artefacts.
The Khufu Boats Museum is another attraction of the GEM. Recognised as one of the world's foremost specialised museums, it houses two rare and invaluable artefacts: the first and second boats of King Khufu.
For the first time in history, both royal boats will be showcased side by side within a single exhibition space. The first boat has already been carefully transported from its original location near the Great Pyramid of Giza to the museum, where it has undergone meticulous conservation and preparation in accordance with the highest international museological standards.
The second boat, discovered adjacent to the Great Pyramid, has had all its wooden planks and components successfully extracted. Following an initial phase of restoration, the pieces were transferred to the GEM, where conservation work continues in close collaboration with Japanese experts.
Visitors will be able to witness the reassembly process in real time, as the boat's components are gradually restored and reassembled before their eyes in a distinctive interactive exhibition that brings ancient craftsmanship to life.
Both the Tutankhamun galleries and the Khufu Boats Museum were to be opened following the official inauguration and are not currently accessible.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 19 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Whatsapp
Short link:

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily News Egypt

11 minutes ago

• Daily News Egypt

MSMEDA injects EGP 17.4bn into 900k women-led enterprises over past decade: CEO

Bassel Rahmy, CEO of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), announced that the agency has allocated EGP 17.4bn over the past 10 years to support women-led micro and small enterprises across Egypt. This funding has empowered around 900,000 projects and contributed to the creation of approximately 1.2 million job opportunities. Rahmy highlighted that 54% of the total funding—equivalent to EGP 9.4 billion—was channelled into projects located in Upper Egypt, border governorates, and other underserved areas most in need of development. He emphasised the agency's determination to double this financing in the coming period, in line with government efforts to enhance women's economic participation and unlock their potential as drivers of national growth. The announcement was made during the 'Women in SMEs' Conference, organised by the Women Entrepreneurs Club under the patronage of MSMEDA. The event gathered representatives from leading financial institutions, entrepreneurship support organisations, ambassadors, and distinguished female leaders from across various economic sectors. In his remarks, Rahmy reiterated MSMEDA's commitment to working in close coordination with government bodies, civil society organisations, and development partners to further empower women economically. He stressed the importance of supporting women not only in launching new enterprises, but also in expanding and developing existing ones across industrial and service-based sectors. This approach, he noted, aims to cultivate a new generation of pioneering women entrepreneurs who can contribute meaningfully to Egypt's economic transformation. Rahmy also underlined the significance of the agency's participation in such conferences, as they serve as platforms to exchange expertise, share successful models, and align with international best practices—particularly in relation to the SME sector and women's empowerment. These efforts, he said, are central to Egypt's development agenda and are fully aligned with Egypt Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. During the event, Rahmy presented the full range of services MSMEDA offers to support entrepreneurs, including both financial and non-financial assistance. He noted the agency's ongoing efforts to expand the accessibility of its services across the country, especially for women and young people, by leveraging digital transformation tools and platforms. Mona Mourad, Founder and CEO of the Women Entrepreneurs Club, affirmed the Club's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of Egyptian women and enabling them to take the lead in medium and large-scale enterprises. She pointed to the conference's collaboration with the American University in Cairo's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Alcatel-Lucent as a prime example of how public-private-academic partnerships can accelerate women's leadership in digital transformation and institutional growth. Mourad commended MSMEDA for its pivotal role in building the capacities of women across various economic activities, particularly by supporting productive, sustainable projects. She added that the agency's presence at the event reflects the growing synergy between state institutions and development actors, both local and international, in creating a thriving ecosystem for female entrepreneurship. In recognition of their success, Rahmy honoured several women who have built notable businesses with MSMEDA's support. Among them was Yasmin El-Sweifi, who owns a thriving restaurant chain in Cairo; Mona Sami, who founded a business producing educational and interactive toys; and Sherine Saleh, who established a manufacturing project for medical and cosmetic supplies. Their achievements, Rahmy said, are a testament to the transformative impact of targeted support and inclusive development policies.

Middle East

26 minutes ago

• Middle East

OPEN// FM: Egypt ready to join development projects in Iraq

CAIRO, June 21 (MENA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty on Saturday reaffimed Egypt's readiness to take part in development projects in Iraq, citing the experience and capabilities of Egyptian companies. These remarks came during Abdelatty's meeting in Istanbul with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, held on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meetings. During the talks, they discussed the outcomes of the January 2025 Egyptian-Iraqi High Committee in Baghdad, which produced 12 agreements to boost cooperation. Abdelatty said that the current regional challenges require stronger Arab coordination and reiterated Egypt's support for joint projects under the Egypt-Iraq-Jordan framework. He also called for de-escalation between Israel and Iran, warning of the risks to regional stability, and stressed the need for political solutions. He reviewed Egypt's efforts to help reach a ceasefire in Gaza and ensure humanitarian aid delivery. (MENA) H A T/M S H

Al-Ahram Weekly

an hour ago

• Al-Ahram Weekly

Egypt FM discusses efforts to de-escalate Israel-Iran conflict with Iranian counterpart in Istanbul - Foreign Affairs

Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty discussed the ongoing Israeli aggression on Iran and efforts to de-escalate the conflict between Tel-Aviv and Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Turkey on Saturday. The two top diplomats met in Istanbul during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit. According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Minister Abdelatty reviewed with Araghchi intensive diplomatic efforts undertaken in recent days to de-escalate the conflict and achieve a ceasefire. Adelatty stressed to Araghchi the importance of pursuing diplomatic and political avenues to reach a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program, to contain the escalating situation, and prevent further instability in the region. For his part, FM Aragchi shared the outcomes of his Friday talks in Geneva with the foreign ministers of the European Troika (the UK, France, and Germany) and the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, focusing on the Iranian nuclear issue. Both ministers agreed to maintain communication and continue consultations to resolve the crisis and safeguard regional security and stability. Meeting with Saudi counterpart Minister Abdelatty also met with his Saudi and Iraqi counterparts on the sidelines of the OIC summit. Minister Badr Abdelatty and Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, exchanged views on the consequences of the ongoing escalation between Israel and Iran. Abdelatty reiterated the urgent need for political and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate, achieve a ceasefire, and resume diplomatic negotiations aimed at reaching a sustainable agreement on the Iranian nuclear file. Aside from the regional development, Minister Abdelatty also praised the strong fraternal ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to launching the Saudi-Egyptian Supreme Coordination Council and holding the Saudi-Egyptian Investment Forum, with the participation of ministers and leading business figures from both countries. He emphasized that this forum is a key and constructive step to strengthen economic relations, in line with the directives of the political leadership in both nations to elevate bilateral ties to broader horizons. The Egyptian FM also outlined Egypt's vision for the upcoming Egyptian-Gulf Investment Forum, scheduled to be hosted in Cairo later this year under the framework of the ministerial consultative mechanism between Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The forum is expected to mark a qualitative leap in economic integration between Egypt and the GCC, particularly in trade, industry, renewable energy, logistics, communications and information technology, digital transformation, healthcare, agriculture, and education. The forum is anticipated to create valuable opportunities to enhance partnerships and cooperation programs between Egypt and its Gulf partners. Minister Abdelatty further highlighted Egypt's prioritization of localizing industry and technology, stressing the importance of achieving industrial integration between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, especially in renewable energy and food security. He also reviewed the incentives and facilities provided by the Egyptian government to industrial investors. Meeting with Iraqi counterpart Egypt's Minister of Foreign Badr Abdelatty met with Fuad Hussein, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, in Istanbul, on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meetings. During the meeting, FM Abdelatty stressed the importance of intensified Arab consultation and coordination regarding the escalating military tensions between Israel and Iran and their grave implications for regional security and stability. He underscored the need to halt the escalation, return to negotiations, and pursue political and diplomatic solutions to prevent the region from descending into widespread chaos. The Egyptian FM also outlined Egypt's ongoing efforts to restore a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need. He noted that regional developments and challenges require greater cooperation and integration among Arab nations. He also reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to implementing joint projects under the trilateral cooperation mechanism between Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. Minister Abdelatty praised the deep-rooted and brotherly ties between Egypt and Iraq, commending the successful convening of the third session of the Egyptian-Iraqi Higher Joint Committee, which took place in Baghdad in January 2025. The session concluded with the signing of 12 agreements to advance relations between the two nations. He also emphasized Egypt's readiness to contribute to Iraq's development projects, highlighting the extensive experience and capabilities of Egyptian companies in this field. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link: