Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

You could call this a coincidence but the acronym of the Grand Egyptian Museum is an apt title for the GEM is truly one! The sprawling museum has the largest indoor space in the world - a whopping five hundred thousand square meters! And needless to say it is full of such wonderful artifacts, each a gem of antiquity.

Of the hundred thousand artifacts held here most peoole come to see the five thousand that are truly special because they come straight from Tutankahmun’s tomb in the Valley of Kings. This includes the dead boy king’s famous golden mask crafted from solid gold!

But what makes the visit a remarkable experience is the grand vision with which the whole museum has been envisaged from start to finish. As you enter its gates a grand bottomless obelisk greets you at the door and then you are ushered into the pyramid shaped entrance that is filled with cartouches of ancient Egyptian kings and queens - as if they have all joined hands to give you a warm welcome! Now you have truly entered the mussum and standing stupefied at the Grand Hall. Before you is a colossal 82-ton statue of Ramessss that once lay supine but now has been raised to its feet in a remarkable act of restoration. Achieved with a steely rasolve is a backbone made of iron that has been drilled into the statue and anchored to the ground so the pharoah can stand upright.

By his side are the twin statues of a king and queen that were pulled out from the sea after staying drowned for thousands of years in the Ptolemaic city of Heracleion just off the coast of Alexandria. They are positioned strategically pointing the way to the Grand Staircase. This stairway is like a Jacob’s ladder leading to heaven lined on both sides with innortal statues of kings md queens, and every step brings us closer to the ultimate destination at the top.

Reaching the top of the Grand Staircase opens up three wonderfuk and equally captivating choices for the viewer.

Straight ahead is a picture perfect view of the pyramids a photo click that is worth a billion bucks! To the left, the main collection arranged chronologically and thematically traces the history of Egyptian religion, gods and people for five millennia. To the right awaits the greatest treasure ever unearthed in Egypt - the wonderful artifacts of Tutankhamun!

Relive the delight of Howard Carter as he first shone his flash lights into the pea sized hole of the virgin tomb on the historic day in November 4, 1922 and found the whole place glittering with gold.

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With this app we hope to shine some light on the wonderful collection that awaits you at the Grand Egyptian Museum! Do take your head phones with you as the buddy needs your ear buds!