Egypt

Update re Grand Museum in Cairo

Egypt State Information Service

"The second phase of establishing the new Grand Museum is nearing completion," Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said during the press conference which he held on Monday 25/8/2008 after his meeting with the international teamwork, chaired by the British expert Stephen Grenburg who is charged with designing the Grand Egyptian Museum.

He added that the museum will be an architectural and civilizational masterpiece by all means to be added to the great works of the ancient Egyptians.

The museum is being established on 117 feddans on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road at a total cost of $300 million.

The Minister said the designs of the third phase are almost finished. “We have six months to go,” he noted.

He said the main building of the museum will be opened in 2011, adding that the museum would display up to 100,000 monuments and artifacts.

Hosni projected that up to seven million tourists would visit the museum annually after its opening.

Egypt Daily Star News

The project kicked off in February 2002 when President Hosni Mubarak lay the first brick of the foundation at the sprawling construction site.

The decision came after authorities realized the Egyptian Museum in Tahir Square, located in the heart of Cairo, was overflowing with artifacts.

“The Egyptian Museum now is so crammed with artifacts. It is going to stay but we will be relocating some artifacts,” explained Salah.

“The new museum will be able to accommodate 15,000 visitors per day. The place is breathtaking especially with the Pyramids in the background,” he added.

However, not everyone is hailing the move. Renowned Egyptian architect Mamdouh Hamza disagreed with the Ministry of Culture’s decision to build the GEM in Remaya Square, saying that the area is congested with traffic and the museum will only cause more traffic problems. The atmosphere will be inappropriate for tourists, he added, since the area is also heavily polluted.

Hamza also said that not enough studies were conducted before deciding on the location.

- Integrated Map For Egyptian Culture
State Information Service Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced that the new year will witness the inauguration of several cultural and archaeological projects in addition to a number of intellectual events. Farouk said that year 2011 that witness...

- Royal Jewelry Museum To Open In Alexandria
Egypt State Information Service The coastal city of Alexandria will host a museum displaying royal jewelry, The museum will be open for tourists and visitors early 2009. Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said the museum's restoration took three years...

- Farewell To Ramesses
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/796/fr2.htm"On Friday 25 August, at 6am, when Cairo traffic is at its quietest, the colossus of the 19th Dynasty Pharaoh Ramses II will begin its journey from outside Bab Al-Hadid train station to its new home at the site...

- Grand Egyptian Museum
http://tinyurl.com/9bm52 "Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said that the first two sites in the Grand Egyptian Museum which the ministry establishes at Cairo, Alexandria desert road will be inaugurated early next year. The two sites are the power station...

- Sis Statement About The Grand Museum
http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html12/o240625b.htmThe Egyptian State Information Service has released a statement about the new museum planned for the Giza Plateau. The enitre item is quoted here: " Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said the Grand Egyptian...

Egypt