The Egyptian museum is located in the heart of the Egyptian capital “Cairo” on the northern side of Tahrir Square. This museum is considered one of the first museums globally specifically established as a public museum, unlike the museums that preceded it.
Work in the museum began during the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmy II in 1897 AD, it was completed in 1901 AD, and it was opened on November 15, 1902 AD.
The museum was designed in a classical style. It did not contain any influences of ancient Egyptian art and ancient Egyptian temples except for its interior halls, which simulate the booths in ancient Egyptian temples.
Entrance interface:-
The entrance to the museum is surrounded by two Greek columns, such as the one in the Temple of Philae. Above this entrance is a bust of the goddess “Hathor” depicted as a female on her head with two horns, and between the two horns there is a sun disk, and on both sides of the entrance, there are two statues of the goddess “Isis” dressed in Greek dress.
Inscribed in the upper part on the right and the left are the years 1897 and 1901 AD; As an indication of the start and end of work, there are also the letters “AH” as an abbreviation of the Khedive’s name “Abbas Helmy II”, which was built during his reign.
• The museum consists of two main floors:
Ground floor: This floor contains heavy relics of coffins, paintings, and huge statues made of limestone and sand, such as:
Statue of “Ramses II”, Senusret, Khafre, the Sphinx, Akhenaten and Hatshepsut.
The upper floor includes:-
traces of the modern state,
Among the most famous of these monuments are the golden pharaoh “Tutankhamun” group and two halls for the royal mummies.
The interior halls are spacious, with high walls, and natural light enters through the glass panels on the ceiling and the windows on the ground floor. The central lobby of the museum is the highest part of the interior, where relics were displayed, as they were in ancient temples.
Any additions or expansions in the building in the future were taken into account, which made visitors easy to move from one hall to another.
The Egyptian Museum is the largest globally, as it contains more than 150,000 artefacts.
The most important of these are the archaeological collections found in the tombs of the kings and the royal entourage of the middle family in Dahshur in 1894. The museum houses the greatest archaeological collection globally; It reflects all the stages of ancient Egyptian history.
Among the important collections of the museum are:
Prehistoric eras: They are those ages that represent the product of the ancient Egyptian before the knowledge of writing, which settled in many places in Egypt.
In the north, centre and south of the country.
This group includes different types of pottery, ornamental tools, fishing tools, and the requirements of the daily life of the ancient Egyptians.
Founding Era: It includes the antiquities of the First and Second Dynasties, including the Narmer Pavillion, the statue of “Khasekhemwy”, and many more advanced utensils and tools than those that were in prehistoric times.
The Old Kingdom era: It includes a group of artefacts, the most important of which are: – the statues of “Zosser”, “Khafre”, “Menkaure”, “Sheikh al-Balad”, “Dwarf Sanab”, “Bey the First” and his son “Mari-An-Ra”, and many others. From coffins, statues of individuals, frescoes, and the collection of Queen Hetepheres.
The Middle Kingdom Era: It includes many artefacts, the most important of which are: – The statue of King “Mentuhotep II”, and a group of statues of some of the kings of the 12th dynasty, such as: – The statue of King “Senusert I” and the statue of King “Amenemhat III” and others, and many others. Statues of individuals, coffins, ornaments and tools of daily life.
• The modern state era: It is the most famous collection in the museum.
On top of it is the collection of King Tutankhamun and the statues of Hatshepsut, Thutmose III and Ramses II, in addition to war wheels, papyri and ornaments, the “Akhenaten” collection, Merneptah’s “Painting of Former Israel”, the statues of “Amenhotep III” and his wife “T”, amulets, writing and agricultural tools And finally, the collection of the royal mummies, which is displayed in its hall, which opened in 1994.
• Late Periods: – It includes the treasures of Tanis, which are made of gold, silver and precious stones.
These treasures were found in the tombs of some of the kings and queens of the 21st and 22nd dynasties in Sun al-Hajar.
It includes some important statues, such as: – the statue of “Amon” and “Amounet”, a statue of the goddess “Tawert”, a painting of Canopus’s decision (Abu Qir), a painting of Bankhi and a group of antiquities of Nubia, some of which were transferred to the Nubia Museum in Aswan.