This was published 5 years ago
Egypt: Treasures of the pharaohs are moving to a new museum in Giza
By Alison Stewart
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo will remain open despite Tutankhamun's treasure being moved to a new venue.Credit: Shutterstock
All the photos in the world cannot prepare you for the moment when you stand before Tutankhamun's exquisite golden death mask inlaid with enamel and semiprecious stones. It appears entirely alive. The boy king's expression is tranquil, haughty, perhaps a little judgmental, his beauty evident. His obsidian and quartz eyes look deep into the viewer's heart.
Photographs are forbidden in this inner sanctum of Cairo's landmark 1902 Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahrir Square. Guards are quick to pounce on tourists attempting a sneaky shot; images must be deleted. Such constraints are a gift, forcing visitors to focus on the treasures.
Tutankhamun's mask is a masterpiece of ancient Egypt. It was originally placed on the mummy's shoulders inside the innermost, solid gold coffin, which is also displayed at the museum. There were three coffins inside the stone sarcophagus. The outer two were made of gold-covered wood inset with stones such as lapis lazuli and turquoise.
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza is set for a 'soft opening' next year.
Travelling on one of Scenic's Treasures of Egypt journeys, we have already visited the Luxor and the Valley of the Kings tomb that was discovered in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter. Tutankhamun ruled for nine years, dying at the age of 19, and his mummified body, the outermost coffin and the sarcophagus are still inside the tomb, more than 3000 years later.
The bulk of the treasures, however, representing the stunning wealth of the 18th dynasty, are in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The life-sized mask is made of two gold sheets pounded together and weighs 11 kilograms. Tutankhamun wears the striped "nemes" headdress of the pharaohs with the sacred serpent and vulture on his forehead symbolising the protective deities of unified Upper and Lower Egypt, a royal false beard and broad collar. Inscribed on the back is the magic spell of Chapter 151 from the Book of the Dead, a route map to the afterlife, safeguarding the king's journey.
Tutankhamun's mask and the other remarkable artefacts in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities are about to make another journey. The museum will remain open but Tutankhamun's treasure will move to the $US1 billion-plus ($1.4 billion-plus), Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located on 50 hectares at Giza.
A visit to the Valley of the Kings features in Scenic's Treasures of Egypt journeys.Credit: Shutterstock
The GEM – the world's largest archaeological museum, two kilometres from the Grand Pyramids – is set for a "soft opening" next year. . The grand opening may be closer to 2022, delayed due to the political turmoil that began in 2011.
GEM will house Tutankhamun's complete collection of between 4000 and 5000 artefacts, many of which are undergoing restoration and have never been displayed. The vast collection we have viewed at the old museum represents only about a third of the whole. Their magnitude and beauty are astounding even so, ranging from coffins (one containing the pharoah's internal organs), jewellery, sandals, thrones, ceremonial chariots, clothing and furniture to implements and utensils, statues and carvings.
GEM's general director, Dr Tarek Sayed Tawfik, wants the 7000-square-metre oblong galleries devoted to Tutankhamun to represent the four spaces of the king's funerary complex. While that exhibit is likely to be GEM's main attraction, the museum, shaped like a chamfered triangle whose north and south walls align with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure, will display about 100,000 antiquities from Pharaonic, Greek and Roman times – 30,000 of which have never been shown. The museum wants visitors to understand how the ancient Egyptians thought, their customs and belief systems and how they related to their kings. And they will be able to understand Tutankhamun as never before. Food and clothing from his tomb, once considered too delicate to display, will be shown, as will the bodies of Tutankhamun's two stillborn daughters.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will house Tutankhamun's complete collection of between 4000 and 5000 artefacts.
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities has already begun the delicate task of transporting the treasures the 22 kilometres from the city centre to Giza. Six chariots have already been moved and relocation is happening as part of a joint program with the Japan International Co-operation Agency. It's a delicate business. Concerns arose in 2014 when workers accidentally knocked the beard from Tutankhamun's mask, then hastily reattached it with epoxy glue. The world's archaeologists swooned with horror. It is hoped the swooning will be of an entirely happier nature when the GEM finally opens.
Alison Stewart was a guest of Scenic.
FLY
Etihad flies to Abu Dhabi and Egypt Air flies from Abu Dhabi to Cairo. See etihad.com
CRUISE
Scenic's 11-day Treasures of Egypt journey from Cairo to Abu Simbel includes a four-night Nile cruise on Sanctuary Sun Boat III, four luxury hotel stays, Egyptologist tour director/guide, multiple temple, tomb and museum visits, internal flights, most meals, accommodation, tipping, and complimentary wine with lunch and dinner. Prices from $9095 per person twin share, departing Giza (Cairo) on May 10, 2019. See scenic.com.au or phone 138 128. For the Sanctuary Sun Boat III, see sanctuaryretreats.com
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