The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo (must see)
The Egyptian Antiquities Museum, popularly known as the Egyptian Museum is a repository of the largest collection of ancient Egyptian objects in the world. It is located to the north of Tahrir Square next to the Nile Hilton hotel.
The Egyptian Museum was established to prevent the removal of Egyptian treasures by foreigners in the 1830s. It first occupied a building in Bulaq on the banks of the River Nile in 1863. After many objects were damaged when the building was flooded, a new museum was built. The present building was designed by French architect, Marcel Dourgnon and inaugurated in 1902.
The Egyptian Museum has a collection of over 120,000 items. Notable exhibits are objects from Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb displayed on the second floor including a gold funerary mask and sarcophagus. The second floor also has a Mummy room with the mummified remains of 11 kings and queens. One room on the same floor displays mummified birds and animals found in royal tombs. The ground floor has a collection of papyrus and coins. The collection not only has papyrus and coins from the age of the Pharaohs but also from the Greek and Roman civilizations. There is also a collection of coins minted under Islamic rule. Other objects displayed on the ground floor are tablets, statues and coffins from the age of the Pharaohs.
Why You Should Visit:
Great location in the heart of the city and the place to visit for a unique and famous Egyptian antiquities collection.
You can get a lot closer to the exhibits than you'd expect and see some amazing history up close.
Tip:
Try to visit with a professional guide, preferably a trained Egyptologist. Do not hire a random person outside.
If you can plan your visit on a day that they are open in the evening, you'll be rewarded with a smaller crowd of people.
Make sure you download/screenshot a map of each floor onto your device. Mark the items you don't want to miss before you go. A little research will save a lot of time!
Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed: 9am-5pm; Thu, Sun: 9am-9pm; Fri-Sat: 9am-4pm.
The Egyptian Museum was established to prevent the removal of Egyptian treasures by foreigners in the 1830s. It first occupied a building in Bulaq on the banks of the River Nile in 1863. After many objects were damaged when the building was flooded, a new museum was built. The present building was designed by French architect, Marcel Dourgnon and inaugurated in 1902.
The Egyptian Museum has a collection of over 120,000 items. Notable exhibits are objects from Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb displayed on the second floor including a gold funerary mask and sarcophagus. The second floor also has a Mummy room with the mummified remains of 11 kings and queens. One room on the same floor displays mummified birds and animals found in royal tombs. The ground floor has a collection of papyrus and coins. The collection not only has papyrus and coins from the age of the Pharaohs but also from the Greek and Roman civilizations. There is also a collection of coins minted under Islamic rule. Other objects displayed on the ground floor are tablets, statues and coffins from the age of the Pharaohs.
Why You Should Visit:
Great location in the heart of the city and the place to visit for a unique and famous Egyptian antiquities collection.
You can get a lot closer to the exhibits than you'd expect and see some amazing history up close.
Tip:
Try to visit with a professional guide, preferably a trained Egyptologist. Do not hire a random person outside.
If you can plan your visit on a day that they are open in the evening, you'll be rewarded with a smaller crowd of people.
Make sure you download/screenshot a map of each floor onto your device. Mark the items you don't want to miss before you go. A little research will save a lot of time!
Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed: 9am-5pm; Thu, Sun: 9am-9pm; Fri-Sat: 9am-4pm.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Cairo. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from iTunes App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities on Map
Sight Name: The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
Sight Location: Cairo, Egypt (See walking tours in Cairo)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Cairo, Egypt (See walking tours in Cairo)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Cairo, Egypt
Create Your Own Walk in Cairo
Creating your own self-guided walk in Cairo is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Old Cairo Walking Tour
Old Cairo is called so because it is the ancient part of Cairo, and predates what is now called Cairo. Some Egyptologists think that there was a settlement here as far back as the 6th century BC. The Romans constructed a tower here named Babylon. Later, it became a Christian stronghold, with as many as 20 churches erected within a surface of one square mile. Take this walking tour to find out more... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Cairo Downtown Walking Tour
The area occupied by present-day Cairo has been the center of Egypt since the days of the pharaohs. The strategic location at the base of the Nile River delta first hosted the town of Memphis, the epicenter of trade, culture, and religion. By the fourth century, Memphis was in decline, and the Romans established the Babylon fortress. The Babylon is the oldest structure in the city today. When the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
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