The Egyptian government has announced plans to inaugurate the Great Egyptian Museum in 2022. The museum has been under construction since 2005. The date was chosen to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, the pharaoh who ruled the region between 1336 and 1327 B.C. (before Christ).

The museum is located in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, close to the pyramids. It will stretch over 490,000 square meters (the equivalent of about 610 futsal fi elds) and will feature more than 100,000 Egyptian historical items, including 5,398 of which were found next to Tutankhamun’s tomb. The items will be divided among 12 exhibition rooms. The museum is already being touted as the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization.

Its construction, however, has proved to be a challenge. First, an international architectural competition, won by the Irish office Heneghan Peng, was held to choose the design of the building. The entire project has a team of more than 300 people from 13 companies and six different countries. Because of numerous unforeseen events, the initial budget (money that had been allocated for its construction) has already been exceeded several times. Now, the cost of the project is estimated at one billion dollars (about five billion reais).

The government expects the Grand Egyptian Museum to be one of the main attractions for tourists who visit the country. The official opening date has yet to be announced.

WHO WAS TUTANKHAMUN?

This pharaoh is known for having ascended to the throne at the very young age of nine. His name means “the living image of Amun”, who was one of the gods worshiped at the time. He had bone disease and malaria and died around 18 or 19. In ancient Egyptian culture, it was believed that anything placed in a grave would accompany the deceased beyond life. For this reason, Tutankhamun’s tomb was filled with valuable artifacts including a gold mask. All of this will be on display at the museum.

Questions

1) Who was Tutankhamun?

a) A young pharaoh

b) An elderly politician

c) The creator of the museum

d) A historian the museum was named after

2) What most peaks your curiosity about Egyptian culture?

Sources: Arch Daily, DW, Estadão and National Geographi

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