Cover The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza opened officially on November 1, 2025 (Photo: Getty Images)
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza opened officially on November 1, 2025 (Photo: Getty Images)
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Worth HK$9 billion and two decades in the making, the Grand Egyptian Museum finally opened its doors on November 1, 2025. Housing over 100,000 artefacts, it’s a breathtaking showcase of 5,000 years of history. Start with these seven wonders if you are wondering where to begin
After more than two decades of construction and anticipation, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza finally opened fully on November 1, 2025. Costing E£1 billion (about HK$9 billion), this long-awaited cultural landmark houses over 100,000 artefacts spanning 5,000 years of Egyptian history—from pre-dynastic times to the Greco-Roman era.
Set across approximately 500,000 sq m—about the size of 70 football pitches—the museum is the largest in the world dedicated to a single civilisation. Many of its treasures are being displayed publicly for the first time, while others, such as 4,500 funerary objects, have been reunited under one roof after years dispersed across the country, including at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
Initially scheduled to open in 2012, the project faced multiple delays due to financial crises, the 2011 Arab Spring, the pandemic and regional conflicts. Now complete, it offers a breathtaking introduction to the wonders of ancient Egypt.
Here are seven must-see highlights to get you started.
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The statue of Ramses II
Above The statue of Ramses II at the Great Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
The statue of Ramses II at the Great Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
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Standing 11m tall and weighing 83 tonnes, this red granite statue of King Ramses II—also known as Ramses the Great—was created 3,200 years ago. The famed pharaoh ruled for 66 years and was celebrated for his military feats, particularly at the Battle of Kadesh. Today, his imposing likeness greets visitors at the Grand Egyptian Museum’s entrance.
The obelisk of Ramses II
Above The hanging obelisk of Ramses II at the entrance to the Grand Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
The hanging obelisk of Ramses II at the entrance to the Grand Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
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Another spectacular relic of Ramses II is a 16m-long obelisk, dating back 3,200 years and transported from San el-Hagar—ancient Tanis. It is uniquely displayed on a custom steel structure supported by four massive pillars, allowing visitors to walk beneath and admire the cartouches bearing the pharaoh’s name carved on its base.
The Grand Staircase
Above A row of colossal statues of pharaohs seated in regal poses at the Great Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
A row of colossal statues of pharaohs seated in regal poses at the Great Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
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Leading to the exhibition galleries, the Grand Egyptian Museum’s Grand Staircase is flanked by colossal statues of pharaohs. Among them are Senusret III (1878–1839BC), the Thutmosides (1479–1425BC), and Akhenaten (1353–1336BC), whose reign marked a radical shift toward worship of the sun god Aten. This monumental ascent encapsulates millennia of artistic and spiritual evolution.
The tomb of Tutankhamun
Above An Egyptian archeologist restoring the gilded coffin of Tutankhamun, which is now displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
An Egyptian archeologist restoring the gilded coffin of Tutankhamun, which is now displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum (Photo: Getty Images)
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One of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s star attractions is the complete assemblage of artefacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun (1333–1323BC), displayed together for the first time since British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered it in 1922. The exhibition features the boy king’s gold mask, throne, chariots and other treasures, offering a rare glimpse into royal life and death in ancient Egypt.
Tutankhamun, who restored Egypt’s traditional polytheism after his father Akhenaten’s religious reforms, was among the few pharaohs worshipped as a deity during his lifetime.
The Queen Hetepheres collection
Discovered near the Great Pyramid of Giza in a hidden chamber, the artefacts of Queen Hetepheres—wife of King Snefru and mother of King Khufu—represent the royal sophistication of Egypt’s 4th dynasty (2575–2465BC). Her collection at Grand Egyptian Museum includes her gilded bed, chair, sarcophagus, canopic jars and a box of intricately worked gold bracelets.
The statue of Osiris
The fourth gallery, themed around beliefs, is centred on a striking statue of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife and resurrection. The sculpture powerfully embodies the mythic narrative of Osiris’s death and rebirth—a visual reminder of ancient Egypt’s enduring faith in immortality.
Khufu’s solar boats
Above The solar boat of King Khufu, which is now displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum (Photo: courtesy of Egypt Museum)
The solar boat of King Khufu, which is now displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum (Photo: courtesy of Egypt Museum)
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Originally displayed in the Giza Solar Boat Museum, the 4,500-year-old funerary boats was discovered in a sealed pit at the southern base of the Great Pyramid. The second one was found in a nearby pit. Believed to transport the pharaoh’s soul across the heavens, both have now been painstakingly reassembled and exhibited side by side for the first time in the Grand Egyptian Museum’s dedicated hall.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
