GEM restoration labs complete work on 47K artifacts

CAIRO - 12 January 2020: A few months separate us from the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, an event that the entire world is anticipating. A total of 50,000 unique artifacts will be displayed in the museum.

The Grand Egyptian Museum is set to be officially inaugurated during the late months of 2020. The Ministry of Antiquities has completed 90 percent of the interior and exterior work of the museum.

For the first time, a 7000-square-meter hall will be dedicated to display the holdings of the Golden King Tutankhamun.

The Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism has also finished restoring approximately 47,000 items in the restoration center of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is one of the largest restoration centers in the world.

The restoration center includes 19 laboratories. Seven laboratories are specialized in restoring heavy monuments and are divided according to the various archaeological materials they restore, including wood, stone, organic, and inorganic materials. There is also a laboratory for tests, analysis and damage evaluation.

“We succeeded in saving over $770 million of the estimated cost of $1.6 billion, as the final cost of the third phase of the museum project will reach $380 million, with an increase of only LE 30 million, where the total works were estimated to cost of $800 million in 2011,” said Atef Moftah, the general supervisor of the Grand Egyptian Museum project.

As for the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum, Moftah explained that there is a committee headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to examine the various suggested scenarios for the opening ceremony. The inaugural ceremony is scheduled to run for 12 days.

Moftah pointed out that all offers from international companies are being studied to achieve the maximum gains from the event. Sponsors will also be brought in for all the aspects of the event.