Trifter

Rumour has it that the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is sinking, the ground the Museum was built on is very soft and the weight of the treasures stored in the museum has caused the problem.  The Museum was built in 1902 is just steps from the Nile River and it houses over 120,000 artefacts some weighing many tons and it is desperately short of space.  There is no comparison to a Western Museum with their careful placement of lights and beautifully curated exhibits. The Egyptian Museum is terribly maintained, dark, dismal with only a vestige of the prestigious building it once was.  The paint is peeling, the atmosphere is dank there is no climate control and the Museum can be very hot and dirty.  The showcases are ancient and over the years have become coated in grime and fingerprints and the lighting of treasures from Tut’s tomb to the massive stone sculptures is abysmal.  There are also no places to rest and contemplate the artefacts and yet this Museum houses some of the most fantastic Egyptian pieces ever to be seen. In order to truly appreciate the Museum’s treasures hire a guide beforehand, there are plenty of guides listed on-line with references and very good guides can be hired just inside the Museum’s gates.  You will not be allowed to take in a camera, they must be checked just inside the gates although you can take pictures of the front of the building and there are no printed guides that can be purchased inside.

It is remarkable to westerners that the Museum functions.  There appears at first glance to be no rhyme or reason to the layout of the place and nothing is labelled but if you travel clockwise around the main floor you will pass through 3000 years of Egyptian history.   If you turn left upon entering you will see artefacts from the Old Kingdom and following this clockwise movement you will eventually move into the Greco-Roman phase of Egyptian history.

Tut’s treasures are to be found on the second floor, taking up nearly one full side of the Museum.  Outside the specially built room that houses the smaller treasures are the exhibits that include the spectacular sarcophaguses or coffins that Tut was buried in.  The throne he used is also on display its exquisite paintwork and decorative detail stunning even to this day. Inside the separate area are the smaller pieces the over 107 different items that were found on the boy king’s body and throughout the wrappings are displayed in cases.  Of course the incredible mask, and golden hands and cases of spectacular jewellery are also in this room.  The jewellery, amulets, rings and other pieces are intricate and beautifully made although it would be nice to see some labelling so that we could understand the meaning behind the pieces.  Also on the second floor is the Royal Mummy Room this is an extra cost of around 35 Egyptian pounds and it is a profound experience to know you are in the same room as the body of Ramses the Second.  You will exit the Museum exhausted, stunned and overwhelmed that this rundown, dirty old building houses some of the world’s most unique and valuable treasures, and with luck you will be back.