The Egyptian Museum Egypt
The Egyptian Museum Egypt; After the Pyramids, the Egyptian Antiquities Museum, also known as the Egyptian Museum or the Cairo Museum, is the second most visited attraction in Cairo.
And it is not for lack of importance, as it houses the world’s most important collection of Egyptian historical artifacts. The nearly 200,000 objects on display take the visitor on a journey through Egypt’s history, from the beginnings of this ancient civilization to the Roman period.
History of The Egyptian Museum Egypt
Although there had been two previous museums, the Egyptian Museum was founded in 1835 in the city of Boulaq and operated in an old deposit on the Nile’s banks. After a flood in 1878 damaged many of the objects, it was moved to an old palace in Giza before finally finding its permanent home in 1902, in the Tahrir Square building where it is today, which was specially built to house its important collections.
As new excavations were made, the collections grew. In addition, Egypt recovered a large number of objects discovered in other countries between 2014 and 2016. Some were removed from the country by those in charge of the excavations, others during the various wars that ravaged the region, and many more were stolen and smuggled out of warehouses and warehouses. The vast majority of the pieces were taken to Europe and became part of various museum collections. Others were sold at auction and purchased by private collectors.
In the temporary exhibition “Recovered Objects: 2014-2015,” approximately 200 of the 500 recovered objects were displayed. Coins, jewellery, reliefs, a sarcophagus, and even a skeleton from 35,000 BC. C., Egypt’s second oldest, were among them.
The following are the top ten must-see artifacts in the Cairo Museum:
1- Amenhotep III and Tiyi statues
These sculptures, which stand over 36 meters tall, greet visitors in the museum’s first room. It should be noted that, in addition to the colossal depictions of Pharaoh Amenhotep and his wife (from the 17th dynasty), the pieces are accompanied by small figures depicting the couple’s three daughters (in the center and on the sides).
2- Narmer Palette
This small plaque is one of the most important works in the museum because its reliefs depict King Narmer’s unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, which marks the beginning of the Egyptian Empire’s first dynasty. The work contains many symbols, one of which is a duplicate representation (in the upper parts) of the Celestial Cow, which is associated with the goddess Hathor, the deity of love and the arts.
3- The Jaseje statue is magnificent.
This statue depicts Pharaoh Jasejemuy, one of the first rulers of the unified Egyptian Empire and the last of the Empire’s second dynasty. The majority of its graves and burial grounds are in Abydos, on the Nile River’s western bank in what is now known as Umm el-Qaab.
4- Rahotep and his wife Nofret statues
These seated and round bulge sculptures are the result of a marriage of the Egyptian civilization’s highest social class. They were discovered in 1871 by archaeologist Auguste Mariette and her team during excavations of a tomb at the North Medium.
5- Pharaoh Kefrén’s statue
This life-size sculpture depicts the greatness of Pharaoh Kefrén of Dynasty IV. To reaffirm his power, the character is seated on a throne in a hieratic position. In addition, he wears the Horus symbol on the back of his neck, which is considered the Egyptian messiah.
6- Micerino’s Triad
It is one of the most significant sculptures in Egyptian history. The pharaoh Micerino stands in the center, in a hieratic posture, taller than the other characters, with the goddess Hathor (deity of love and the arts) on the right side and the divinity of the nomome of Cinópolis on the left.
7- Tutankhamun Funeral Mask No.
Tutankhamun, the adolescent pharaoh, was immortalised in this gold, glass, and semiprecious stone mask. It is one of the most important works of art in the history of art, not just in Egyptian art. The piece is one of many treasures discovered in the ruler’s tomb.
8- Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus
Another treasure discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb is this coffin. Howard Carter discovered the remains of this young pharaoh, who despite his short life, is considered one of the most important figures in Egyptian history, inside this surprising and well-preserved solid gold sarcophagus (weighing around 110 kilogrammes) in 1922.
9- Stony sarcophagi
Mummies are highly symbolic in Egyptian culture for the unusual funeral process they performed to honour their deceased; this includes embalming as well as the creation of coffins full of inscriptions that reveal details about the buried people, as well as his philosophy of life after death.
10- Pharaoh Sheshonq II’s funeral mask
This golden burial mask preserved the features of Pharaoh Shoshenq II, who reigned in Egypt’s third intermediate period from 887-885 BC during the XXII dynasty. The preservation of this valuable piece is fortunate because this ruler’s tomb was the only one of the dynasty’s tombs that was not looted.
The Egyptian Mummies’ Project
There are approximately 600 unregistered or misregistered mummies in the museum’s basements. The Project’s goal is to correctly classify these remains using new technology, thereby correcting or completing the genealogies of Egyptian kings from all periods.
The Egyptian Museum at Giza
The Great Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is located very close to the Pyramids, is currently under construction (and will soon be partially open). The massive and modern structure will house all of the collections that are currently on display as well as those that are currently in storage due to a lack of space. Many of the objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb, including the great statue of Ramses II, are already in his new home.
