Saudi Gazette Report

CAIRO— On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah attended the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo on Saturday.

Extending the leadership’s greetings to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Prince Badr said that it is an “honor” to take part in the landmark event.

Egypt unveiled the long-awaited GEM— the world’s largest archaeological museum — in an impressive ceremony that drew 79 international delegations, 39 heads of state, and numerous high-profile guests.

Among those in attendance were Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Queen Rania of Jordan, joined by Princess Salma; Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham of Oman; Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain; Princess Akiko of Japan; Prince Albert of Monaco; Queen Mary of Denmark; King Philippe of Belgium; Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand; King Felipe VI of Spain; and Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies with Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro.

The ceremony featured magnificent displays of drones recreating ancient Egyptian artifacts and statues, such as the Great Sphinx of Giza.

President El-Sisi hailed the opening as a “new chapter” for Egypt. The museum showcases more than 100,000 artifacts, including the complete treasures of King Tutankhamun — displayed together for the first time since the tomb’s discovery in 1922.

The largest cultural project of Egypt in its modern history is located near one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza. The museum, which opened after more than two decades of construction, houses artifacts covering the history of Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the Ptolemaic era.

Overlooking the Giza Pyramids, the 500,000-square-meter complex features 12 grand exhibition halls and 120,000 square meters of landscaped gardens. The museum’s collection spans Egypt’s history from the pre-dynastic era to the Greek and Roman periods.

Among its most prominent halls is the Grand Hall, which welcomes visitors with the Hanging Obelisk and a statue of King Ramses II.

Alongside it is the Grand Staircase, displaying statues of ancient Egyptian kings in chronological order, and the Khufu Boat Museum, which houses the solar boats transported in one of the most complex archaeological relocation operations in the world in 2021.