The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is a large museum located in

Old Cairo Old Cairo (, Egyptian pronunciation: Maṣr El-ʾAdīma) is a historic area in Cairo, Egypt, which includes the site of a Babylon Fortress, Roman-era fortress, the Christian settlement of Coptic Cairo, and the Muslim-era settlement of Fustat that ...

, a district of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt. Partially opened in 2017, the museum was officially inaugurated on 3 April 2021, with the moving of 22 mummies, including 18 kings and four queens, from the

Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (, Egyptian Arabic: ) (also called the Cairo Museum), located in Cairo, Egypt, houses the largest collection of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian antiquities in the world. It hou ...

in central Cairo, in an event termed the

Pharaohs' Golden Parade The Pharaohs' Golden Parade was held in Cairo, Egypt, on the 3rd of April 2021. It was a means to encourage tourism in Egypt again. It involved the transportation of twenty-two ancient Egyptian mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square t ...

. The museum displays a collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting the Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the Modern era.

Background

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization 2022 07

The permanent collection is divided into two separate regions; one chronological and the other is thematic. The chronological areas are the following:

Archaic Archaic may refer to: * Archaic Period (several meanings), archaeological term used to refer to a very early period differing by location *Archaic humans, people before ''homo sapiens'' * ''Archaic'' (comics), a comic-book series created by write ...

Pharaonic ''Pharaonic'' is an action role-playing game developed and published by Milkstone Studios. It was first released on April 28, 2016, for Microsoft Windows, and later for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, macOS, and Nintendo Switch. Plot The game ...

, Greco-Roman, Coptic,

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, Islamic, modern and contemporary. The thematic areas are the following: Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

provided technical help to the museum. The collections will be taken from other Egyptian museums such as the

, the

Coptic Museum The Coptic Museum is a museum in Coptic Cairo, Egypt with the largest collection of Coptic Christian artifacts in the world. It was founded by Marcus Simaika in 1908 to house Coptic antiquities. The museum traces the history of Egypt from its b ...

, the Museum of Islamic Art, the

Manial Palace and Museum The Manial Palace and Museum is a former Muhammad Ali dynasty, Alawiyya dynasty era palace and grounds on Rhoda Island on the Nile. It is of Ottoman architecture, Ottoman architecture and located in the Sharia Al-Saray area in the El-Manial dist ...

, and the

Royal Jewelry Museum The Royal Jewelry Museum () is an art and history museum in the Zizenia neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt. It is located in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra'. The building's halls contain an inestimable collection of jewels and je ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Museum Halls

Main Gallery

A captivating chronological voyage that guides visitors through the epochs and can obtain an integrated idea of the Egyptian civilization and its most important achievements through its various eras, starting from prehistoric times and through the Pharaonic, Greek, Coptic and Islamic eras and to the modern and contemporary era in addition to the traditional culture that the Egyptians inherited or what is known as Popular Heritage. This gallery includes Nazlet Khater Skeleton, Tent of Purification, The coffin of

Sennedjem Sennedjem was an Ancient Egyptian artisan who was active during the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II. He lived in Set Maat (translated as "The Place of Truth"), contemporary Deir el-Medina, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes, Egypt, T ...

, Nilos Statue, Minbar Aboubakr Ibn Mizhar, Al Falaha Statue among other pieces.

Mummies Hall

The Royal Mummies’ Hall is specially designed to display the mummies of the ancient Kings and Queens of Egypt. The design aims to give the visitor the feeling of strolling down the Valley of The Kings, where most of these mummies were originally resting. The hall includes 20 Royal mummies,18 Kings, and 2 Queens, from the 17th until the 20th dynasty. List of mummies from 17th and 18th dynasties: List of mummies from 19th and 20th dynasties:

Textile Hall

The Egyptian Textile Gallery offers a fascinating journey through the rich tapestry of Egyptian history and craftsmanship. This collection comprises approximately 600 artifacts that provide a captivating insight into the evolution of Egyptian fabrics and the textile industry spanning millennia.

Dye House

An ancient dye house that has withstood the test of time, dating back to at least the first century of the Fatimid period (A.D. 969–1171). This rare and well-preserved gem stands as the sole surviving evidence of Cairo’s ancient dye houses, offering a captivating glimpse into the vibrant world of textile dyes from centuries past.

Ain el-Sera Lake

The museum is located next to the Ain el-Sera Lake, the area which has been developed from slums into a touristic site in 2022. It includes a restaurants area, an open-air theatre, green areas, wooden pergolas, fountains and a purification plant of lake water.

Gallery

File:National Museum of Egyptian Civilization 2022 67.jpg, Inside the museum File:Mummy of Queen Tiye of Egypt.jpg, Mummy of queen

Tiye Tiye (c. 1398 BC – 1338 BC, also spelled Tye, Taia, Tiy and Tiyi) was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, mother of pharaoh Akhenaten and grandmother of pharaoh Tutankhamun; her parents were Yuya and Thuya. In 2010 ...

, now displayed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization File:Ramses2 (2).jpg, Mummy of

Ramesses II Ramesses II (sometimes written Ramses or Rameses) (; , , ; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was an Pharaoh, Egyptian pharaoh. He was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of th ...

, now displayed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization File:National Museum of Egyptian Civilization 2022 73.jpg, The coffin of Nedjemankh File:National Museum of Egyptian Civilization 2022 06.jpg File:Statue of Hapi the Scribe, 19th dynasty in 2022.jpg, Hapi, the scribe File:National Museum of Egyptian Civilization 2022 43.jpg File:State Chariot of Thutmose IV.jpg, Chariot of king

Thutmose IV Thutmose IV (sometimes read as Thutmosis or Tuthmosis IV, Thothmes in older history works in Latinized Greek; Ancient Egyptian: ''ḏḥwti.msi(.w)'' "Thoth is born") was the 8th Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled in approximately t ...

File:Chair of Queen Hetepheres in 2022c.jpg, Chair of Queen

Hetepheres I Hetepheres I () was a queen of Egypt during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt who was a wife of one king, the mother of the next king, the grandmother of two more kings, and the figure who tied together two dynasties. Biography Hetepheres I may have ...

Khufu Khufu or Cheops (died 2566 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). Khufu succeeded his ...

's mother

Accessibility and tickets

The museum provides easy access to suit all visitors such as free wheelchairs, designated parking spots, and elevators. Brochures in

Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

are available on request; reservations in advance are required for sign-language tours. The ticket prices for foreigners: 550 EGP (11$) for Adults, 300 EGP (6$) for Students.

Notable donations

In late 2017,

Zahi Hawass Zahi Abass Hawass (; born May 28, 1947) is an Egyptians, Egyptian archaeology, archaeologist, Egyptology, Egyptologist, and former Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt), Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, a position he held twice. He has ...

reported that Francis Ricciardone, the president of the

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ) is a private research university in New Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, along with a continuing education program. ...

, donated 5,000 of its artifacts to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

Usage

The museum hosted the final draw of the

2021 World Men's Handball Championship The 2021 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was the 27th event hosted by the International Handball Federation and held in Egypt from 13 to 31 January 2021. Starting with this edition, the World Championship was expanded from 24 teams to 32. I ...

. The museum also has a Conservation Center and storage.

References

External links

Official websitePodcast on the Golden Parade
"History of Egypt Podcast" series by Egyptologist Dominic Perry, 4 April 2021 {{Authority control Museums in Cairo Archaeological museums in Egypt Egyptological collections in Egypt National museums Tourist attractions in Egypt Museums established in 2017 2017 establishments in Egypt Government agencies of Egypt