The Mess of The Egyptian Museum

After our exhausting day through Saqarra, Dahshur, and Memphis, we looked forward to having a relatively late start to our morning. And by a late start, it meant getting in line for the Egyptian Museum when it opened at nine o’clock. Luckily, the museum was a few minutes on foot from our hotel, Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir Cairo. Formally known as the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, the Egyptian Museum is not only the central repository of ancient Egyptian artifacts and the biggest museum in Africa. A visit to the Egyptian Museum is considered a must for first-time visitors.

The pink-colored Egyptian Museum dominates the El Tahrir Square.

Before the pandemic, the Egyptian Museum received about ten thousand visitors daily, making it one of the ten most visited museums globally. Because of chronic overcrowding, the government under President Hosni Mubarak decreed the construction of a brand new museum in Giza, in the view of the Great Pyramids. The Grand Egyptian Museum, or GEM, is intended to be the world’s largest museum. This new museum reportedly costs more than one billion thus far and still has not opened after a decade of construction. Undoubtedly, the new museum will eclipse the Egyptian Museum soon.

The long line into the front gate of the Egyptian Museum.

Considering the museum's popularity, the entry process into the Egyptian Museum was quite messy. A large crowd gathered outside when we arrived at the gate a few minutes past nine. It seemed like an orderly process at first glance, but it quickly became apparent that everyone was confused about the proper line for the general public ticketing. Are there separate line for advanced reservation or tour groups? As I asked around, nobody seemed to know what was going on. Unsurprisingly, there was no single staff in sight to direct the crowd.

After standing in line for nearly fifteen minutes, a giant group appeared behind us. The group waited behind us for a few minutes, and then their tour guide decided to just cut the line in front of everybody else. Everyone assumed that big groups must have a special line or access procedure. It was not until we arrived at the gate that we noticed they jumped the line. You would assume the museum would have developed a more orderly system after a few decades. There should be no reason they couldn’t set up a dozen ticket kiosks on the premise.

At 450 Egyptian Pounds (USD 14.50), the Egyptian Museum is one of the most expensive museums in Cairo, but it is still a bargain by international standards. Inside the gate, there were plenty of guides soliciting businesses. Our tour guide, Adel, recommended a guided tour of the museum a day earlier, but we decided to explore it independently, given our limited time. Since I already knew we would revisit Egypt in the future, we don’t mind just having a little whirlwind tour through the museum ourselves. Maybe we will regret it in the end. Who knows?

The museum was first established by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1835 to halt the export of Egyptian antiquity. In the same decree, the authority mandated that all archaeological excavations and export of artifacts must have official authorization. Ironically, much of the contents were gifted to Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later the Emperor of Mexico), who took great interest in Egypt during his tour through the region and developed a close relationship with the Egyptian authority. This initial collection is now at Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum.

After moving the museum around Cairo several times, they eventually settled on a prime location in central Cairo. After a design competition, they selected French architect Marcel Dourgno to build a neoclassical edifice. At 165,000 square feet, it was massive when it was inaugurated in 1902 and big enough to accommodate new finds from ongoing archaeological digs. The grand hall in the center is large enough to house the massive Colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye. The architecture is reminiscent of other great museum buildings of that era, such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Arts or Washington’s National Gallery.

I think the emblem of the Egyptian Museum is badass.

After passing through the electronic ticket gates, we got our first glimpses of the museum’s cavernous hall. The first impression was not exactly great. Aside from subpar architectural lighting, there were peeling paints and fenced-off areas barricaded off from the visitors using wooden crates and random stone fragments. The dilapidated grand architecture starkly contrasted with the grand artifacts on display. Several towering granite statues of pharaohs and queens were in the main entrance alone. I could imagine how Egyptologists could spend a lifetime studying the items on exhibit here.

The monumental halls of the Egyptian Museum.

Like most visitors, we made a beeline to the Tutankhamun exhibition, the core collection of the Egyptian Museum. Objectively, Tutankhamun is one of the less historically significant Egyptian pharaohs. British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered his undisturbed tomb in Valley of the King in 1922. This was the first pharaonic tomb that survived intact; it was hailed as the most significant archaeological discovery of all time. Overnight, Tutankhamun became a household name and the world were mesmerized by the vast treasure uncovered. The golden funerary mask of Tutankhamun became the most recognizable symbol of ancient Egypt ever since.

The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was quite an exciting story. The rediscovery was the lifetime works of Howard Carter, who had the political skills and the conviction to dig in Valley of the Kings for nearly five years without producing tangible results. The discovery had been the subject of fascination because of the infamous “Curse of Tutankhamun.” Less known about the discovery was that the project was funded by Lord Carnarvon, whose primary residence was Highclere Castle, the setting for the popular historical drama Downton Abbey. To this day, Highclere is still the family seat of his family.

Tutankhamun is world famous, but they can’t bother to get a better sign at the Egyptian Museum.

Partly due to the popularity of Tutankhamun, the most prized items of his tomb were displayed in a separate gallery under heavy guard. Items displayed within include the crown jewel of Egypt: the golden funerary mask of Tutankhamun. Even though we have all seen photographs of this mask countless times, it still did not prepare us for the radiant magnificence of this ancient masterpiece. The mask is just slightly larger than life-size and studded with precious gems. Glamour aside, what impressed the visitors the most are how life-like the mask is. The subtle curvature of the “flesh” was stunning. No photograph could capture a fraction of dazzling brilliance in real life.

Also displayed in this tiny gallery were two of Tutankhamun’s golden sarcophagi and some of the more intricate items in gold, including his crook and flail. I was particularly drawn to his delicate golden sandals and finger stalls. The contrast between the sold sarcophagi and delicate personal items demonstrates the incredible versatility of ancient craftsmen. If this is the quality of funerary items for a minor teenage pharaoh, one could imagine what kind of treasure troves accompanied great rulers like Khufu or Ramesses II. One could only hope more undisturbed pharaonic tombs are still out there.

Partly because of the golden mask’s towering reputation, no photograph was allowed without an advanced permit. This was a relatively recent change; I wondered the exact reason. They took the photography ban very seriously. Inevitably, a few tourists did their best to sneak in a photo with their phones. Staff members would hunt them down to ensure those pictures were deleted, including those in the trash folder. Unlike anything I have seen in a world-class museum, these guys were highly aggressive and intimidating. You certainly wouldn’t want to misbehave in there. After all, there are thousands of photographs online.

Fortunately, not all of King Tut’s treasures were in that special gallery. Outside the gallery are many of the most exciting items from the tomb. These artifacts glowed in natural light streaming down from the skylights. I found these items more interesting than his golden mask. One of my favorite objects is King Tut’s canopic box. Canopic jars are specialized containers used during the mummification process. Each jar is designed to hold a specific organ. There is something morbidly fascinating about these jars. Tutankhamun’s canopic jars are carved out of a beautiful alabaster block and inscribed with hieroglyphs and the uraeus. The way the box glowed in light was splendid.

A miniature canopic shrine that once held King Tut’s canopic jars is far from the canopic box. The four deities, four sons of Horus, each guarded specific organs to ensure passage to the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with protecting their physical remains after death, both physically and metaphorically. Each physical layer of protection is inscribed with funerary spells to protect them from evil spirits. Interestingly, archaeologists found inscribed instructions on how the craftsman should assemble the box from a kit of parts.

Another favorite of mine was Tutankhamun’s ceremonial folding chair, inlaid with intricate gold gems and ivory. Experts believe the chair was used for the hunting session. Besides its incredible portability, the chair also had several visual references to the hunts, including crossed legs carved to represent the necks and heads of ducks. For Egyptologists, the most interesting is the back of the chair, where there is a cartouche bearing the name Tutankhaten, which references the sun god Aten. This earlier name for the boy king illustrates the turbulent transitions between monotheism and polytheism.

Procession of dancers during the reign of Ramses II.

Even though Tutankhamun was not a significant pharaoh, his father, Akhenaten, was one of the most notorious rulers in Ancient Egypt. Arkhenaten was best known for his radical effort to reform the ancient Egyptian religious framework. Most notably, he abandoned the traditional pantheon of gods to worship a singular god, the sun god Aten. Known as Atenism, the sun worship was a radical shift among the population and created many social and political upheavals. The shift to monotheism was hugely unpopular, prompting the return of polytheism. Akhenaten was branded as a heretic by his successors; his monuments were deliberated and destroyed, including the desecration of his coffin.

As Egypt returned to polytheism, Akhenaten's name was scrapped from written history. His name finally returned to the history book after a 19th-century excavation of his capital, Amarna. Compared to other pharaohs, he stood out for his religious beliefs and how he was depicted in the arts. While most pharaohs looked similar with idealized facial features, Akhenaten sported a distinctive look. Along with his wife, Nefertiti, Akhenaten is depicted with distinctive features such as an elongated neck, prominent chin, curvacious lips, spindle-like limbs, and an enormous hip. Akhenaten's appearance is often considered androgynous, prompting many scholars to speculate about his sexuality.

There is no question that Tutankhamun and Akhenaten are the most exciting pharaohs in the Egyptian Museum. However, there are plenty of other interesting historical personalities in the collection. Among them, I am very intrigued by a noble couple, Thuya and Yuya. Thuya was the grandmother of Akhenaten and great-grandmother of Tutankhamun. Before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, theirs was considered the most splendid ancient Egyptian burial vault ever discovered. Their tombs contained large troves of ancient furniture and an impeccably preserved chariot.

One of the most valuable items entombed is a copy of the Book of the Dead. The book is over 32 feet long and includes many illuminations featuring Thuya and Yuya in the story's telling. But for me, the most evocative items are their wonderfully mummified bodies. Among all the mummies I have seen anywhere in the world, they are the most “beautiful” in terms of their state of preservation. Not only were all the facial features beautifully preserved, but the intricacy of their hair was particularly striking. Their lifelike appearance made them more scarier than the screaming mummies of Guanajuato.

As the world’s greatest depository of Egyptian artifacts, visitors may be surprised that not a single pharaohic mummy was on display. They now reside at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), about half an hour away. Officially inaugurated in 2022, the massive museum is meant to relieve the overcrowding at the Egyptian Museum. The museum provides an overview of Egyptian civilization from ancient to modern times. The collection has over 50,000 items, but the crown jewel is the mummies of eighteen kings and four queens, now housed in a state-of-art facility.

When it was time to transport the mummies to their new home, the Egyptian government set up a massive show for the public and international press. Coined the Pharaohs' Golden Parade, the event was a big production of national propaganda. Each mummy was transported with a specially outfitted vehicle mimicking an ancient Egyptian chariot. According to media reports, the parade was popular with the public and a triumph for national unity. However, the production looked eerily similar to the “tribute parade” in Hunger Games, didn’t it?

The Egyptian Museum will lose its most important objects within the following year. After its official opening, all Tutankhamun’s treasures, including the gold mask, will be relocated to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). I could not help wondering how much the visitor count would drop after losing King Tut. I hate to say it, but I suspect most visitors came here mainly for the golden treasures. I would be curious to see which items they would relocate to Giza. After all, the museum has a lifetime’s worth of historical artifacts in its collection.

Since we didn’t have a tour guide, I did a little prior research on some of the more anonymous highlights. But to be honest, many of the objects do look very similar. Luckily, plenty of tour guides were around, and I couldn’t help overhearing the conversations. One of the objects many tour guides pointed out was the Narmer Palette. The exquisite tablet is one of the most significant objects in the museum’s collection because it has the oldest inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Because Egypt is the oldest civilization in the world, this may be the oldest historical document ever found. On top of that, the tablet depicts Egypt’s first pharaoh, who united Upper and Lower Egypt into a unified realm.

Oddly enough, most of us gravitated to the Old Kingdom galleries. For whatever reason, this period has a knack for emotionally gripping pieces, such as the Triad of Mykerinos. This is one of the five life-size sculptural groups found at the Valley Temple of the pyramid complex of Mykerinos in Giza. For reference, Mykerinos is the smallest of the three major pyramids of the Giza Plateau. This statue brought to life the idealized image of the builder pharaoh. His lean, muscular build demonstrates the standard of beauty in ancient Egypt. The facial features of each figure are remarkably personalized and approachable, making this one of the most emblematic sculptures of the Old Kingdoms.

This piece was significant because Pharaoh Mykerinos, the central figure, is flanked by the goddess Hathor to the right and the goddess Hare. The triad illustrates the pharaoh as a divine being on Earth and an equal to the pantheon of gods. The headdresses symbolize the unity of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Egypt. The pharaoh is notably one step forward from the goddesses, asserting his power as both a divine and earthly ruler of the realm. More than the divine monarchs of Europe, Egyptian pharaohs often developed personal cults, many of which lasted centuries after their passing.

While most ancient Egyptian artifacts are in stone, visitors must take some time to examine some of the more fragile artifacts, such as the papyrus scrolls. Papyrus is a plant native to southern Mediterranian. The fiber of the papyrus reeds is then weaved together to create the ancient paper for painting and writing. Nowadays, papyrus is nearly synonymous with ancient Egypt. Papyrus shops are common stops on the tourist trail, where shopkeepers provide a brief demonstration before selling you overpriced (and often ridiculous) papyrus paintings. Impressive collections of papyri are on display in two galleries on the upper level. Because Brian has a background in writing studies, we were particularly interested in these well-preserved manuscripts. The cursive hieroglyphs were works of art in their own right.

I was immediately intrigued by an unusual diety called Medjed. Depicted as a piece of white pebble stone with human legs and eyes, Medjed appeared exclusively in the Book of the Dead. Little is known about it, except it could fly, be invisible, shoot rays of light from its eyes, breathe fire, and deal a fatal blow to a human being. The depiction of Medjed immediately reminded me of kasa-obake, the so-called umbrella ghost in Japanese folklore. I later learned that Medjed became a cultural phenomenon in Japan after a Book of the Dead was exhibited there in 2012!

This painting is more than 4,800 years old!

In the nearby gallery was a plaster painting of a flock of geese, which I recognized from the Cairo episode of Rick Steve’s TV show. Commonly referred to as the "Meidum Geese," they were the most prominent feature in the tomb of Nefermaat, the son of Pharoah Sneferu. For a painting over 4,600 years old, the naturalism and details on the feathers are extraordinary, earning the nickname “Egypt’s Mona Lisa.” This painting is so beautiful that it even led a few outlying experts to question its authenticity, as the two species depicted are not found in the wild today. However, the consensus among archaeologists believes they were simply extinct goose breeds.

Although the Egyptian Museum focuses on ancient artifacts, its collection also covers the Hellenistic and Roman periods. For four centuries after Alexander the Great’s conquest, Egypt was governed by the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The kingdom was Macedonian in origin and part of the Hellenistic world. Egypt may be an Arabic African nation today, but many Egyptian rulers historically may look nothing like typical Egyptians on the streets of Cairo. Cleopatra, the last Egyptian pharaoh, was Macedonian Greek in heritage. She was the only Ptolemaic pharaoh who learned to speak the Egyptian language.

Fast-forward 1,800 years. Egypt’s final ruler before independence was Muhammad Ali's dynasty. Reigning from 1850 to 1953, they were also of European origin, Albanian. As you can see, we should all recognize the complexity of identity in contemporary Egypt. Not surprisingly, these parts of the museum saw very few visitors during our time there. I supposed Cairo would not be the best place to learn about Ptolemaic Egypt. Visitors should head to Alexandria, the center of Greco-Roman Egypt.

The colossal head of Serapius, the Hellenistic syncretic deity of Zeus, Isis, and Apis.

As we moved through the museum, we were constantly amazed by the conditions of the gallery. Mist exhibits, including non-royal mummies and mummified animals, were put into century-old display cases with single-pane glass. There was no humidity control or integrated lighting. Some cases were closed with just twisted bare wires. Given the number of visitors, the museum received daily, and the stature of the Egyptian Museum, the level of neglect was astonishing. On the museum's website, there are many photographs from the year when the museum opened a century ago. I could barely discern any visible upgrade since then.

A few galleries, such as the Tutenkamum and Old Kingdom sections, had limited upgrades but were still not near the standard befitting of a national museum. But setting outdated displays aside, what bothered me the most were the basics like health and safety. One prime example was the random electrical wires across the main hall's floor. There was no excuse for a national museum to have such a severe tripping hazard. I assumed they would plan on a gut renovation after the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, but no such plan had been announced yet. When I asked Adel about his opinion, he looked puzzled, wondering why anyone would bother tempering this temple of Egyptology.

Our experience in the Egyptian Museum is a microcosm of Egypt’s tourism trade. The artifacts and site were excellent, but the infrastructure left much to be desired. It never ceases to amaze me how a popular destination like Egypt is content with chronic public underinvestment. True, the Grand Egyptian Museum should be open later this year, and it will no doubt be the talk of the country, or world tourism for that matter. But with a billion dollars spent on a single museum, other fantastic sites like the Egyptian Museum and the pyramids of Dahshur received little resources. Unfortunately, the propensity toward grandiose projects is all too common in many countries. It would not be worth the investment if the politicians could not do ribbon-cutting.

Predictably, the nicest facility of the entire museum was a large gift shop at the exit. I always believed you could judge a museum through its gift shop. Once again, it was another missed opportunity. The items offered were typical trinkets available at roadside vendors besides the pyramids. After a few hours at the museum, I can’t help feeling a little melancholic. At the same time, I would not hesitate to return for my next visit to Cairo. Exquisite artifacts aside, I want to see how this century-old institution evolves. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a renaissance in Egyptology.

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