Egyptian Museum in Tahrir on preliminary list of World Heritage Sites

CAIRO – 7 April 2021: The World Heritage Committee of the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included the Egyptian Museum in its tentative list of World Heritage sites, as Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities applied for last February, in accordance with the established criteria for registering world heritage sites.

General Supervisor of the Central Administration for Public and International Relations at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Abdel Mohsen Shafi’ stated that the ministry was keen to send to UNESCO highlights of how special the museum is, as it is considered as a cultural beacon in the heart of Cairo and a part of the Egyptian civilization. 

It is the first national museum in the Middle East that includes the largest and most important archaeological treasures of the ancient Egyptian civilization, in addition to being a unique landmark that played an important role in educating and disseminating archaeological awareness for the Egyptian society. 

The museum also houses a library and archive that contains rare documents and books in the field of Egyptology. It is a great place as a source of living heritage.

Director General of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Sabah Abdel Razek  said that the museum’s building is unique in being an exceptional architectural edifice, and one of the first architectural buildings specifically constructed to become a museum, as it is distinguished by its unique design and engineering achievement.

It was built by the French architect Marcel Dornon, who designed it in the style of classical Greco-Roman architecture, after passing an international competition of 87 designs, the foundation stone of the museum was laid in 1897 and it was inaugurated on November 15, 1902 during the reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II.

It is reported that a project is currently being implemented to develop an exhibition in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, with a short-term and long-term plan.

Thus, the museum joins the list of Egyptian sites registered on the UNESCO tentative list, which includes a number of unique cultural and natural heritage sites in Egypt, including sites in Minya, Ras Mohammad Reserve in South Sinai, the Nilometer in Rawda, the monasteries of the Western Desert and the ancient Sinai castles.

Egypt has registered 8 sites on the World Heritage List, which are: the Memphis region and its cemeteries, Thebes and its cemeteries, Nubia, Historic Cairo, Saint Catherine, Abu Mina Monastery and Wadi El Hitan Reserve.