The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Details

History

The idea for the establishment of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization dates back to 1982 when UNESCO announced an international campaign to establish the National Museum of Civilization and the Nubia Museum in Aswan, and in 1999 the current site of the museum was chosen in Fustat instead of its previous location on the island, and the archaeological excavations at the museum site were worked from 2000 to 2005, and the foundation stone of the museum building was laid in 2002, after excavations carried out in 20000. 

Location and area

The National Museum of Fustat in ancient  gypt is located near The Fort Babylon and overlooks The Lake of Ain Essaira. The museum has an area of about 33.5 acres, including 130,000 square meters of buildings, and is expected to house 50,000 artifacts from various eras of ancient Egypt to contemporary history, and a collection of preservation stores equipped with the latest technology. 

Finance and Design

The museum's architectural consultant is Dr. Al-Ghazali Kasiba, professor of architecture at the School of Fine Arts in Cairo, while the interior exhibition halls were designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The museum will showcase Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present using various methods, highlighting the country's physical and moral heritage. ^[9][10]

The museum pays tribute to a full Egyptian funding, which is distributed between the 45% Nubia Antiquities Rescue Fund and the 55% Supreme Council of Antiquities, while UNESCO provides technical support in training and consultations on how to implement the museum, in modern scientific ways. 

Galleries

The museum's collections will be displayed in nine halls, including a permanent major exhibition on the most important achievements of Egyptian civilization, with six thematic exhibitions covering the dawn of civilization, the Nile, writing, state and society, culture, beliefs and ideas, and the Exhibition of Royal Mummies.

The museum includes large temporary exhibition spaces, a hall and an education and research centre, as well as an exhibition related to the development of the new cairo city. It will serve as a venue for a variety of events, including film screenings, conferences, lectures and cultural activities, and will target local, national and international audiences. 

The museum will include service, commercial, recreational and research buildings, and a research center for ancient materials and restoration. 

Main Hall

The museum's main exhibition hall contains a number of archaeological pieces that give an integrated idea of Egyptian civilization from the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic and modern periods. 

The Momiaut Hall

The hall prepares visitors for the atmosphere of the Valley of the Kings. The hall houses 20 royal mummies, including 18 kings, and two queens from the 17th to the 20th dynasty. The most important of these mumayauts are the mummy of King Sahun Ra,King Thutmose III,Queen Hatshepsut,King Ramses II,and King Ramses III. 

Archaeological Laundry

The museum features a grille inside the museum's campus, first discovered in 1932, and rediscovered during the pre-construction of the museum in 2003-2004. The grille is made up of three double-eyed rows in each of which is 13 eyes. On the north side are 13 single eyes supported by a brick wall. The eyes are built of small red bricks separated by a 50 cm wide corridor, each separated by a 20 cm brick wall. The eyes are round 80 cm in diameter and 70 cm high. On the north side are 10 rectangular basins, 70 x 70 cm in diameter and 90 cm high, separated by a corridor 65 cm wide. These basins are believed to be used to stabilize the dye after the dyeing process. ^[14]

Project stages and opening stages

• Phase 1:
• Phase 2: The cost of this phase is 400 million pounds and includes the construction of the administrative building, factories, warehouses and the security system. 
• Phase 3: The cost of this phase is 500 million pounds, and includes the construction of a power plant and 3 halls out of a total of 9 halls in the museum, one of which is dedicated to the display of royal mummies, and another for the Museum of the Capital, which will show visitors a vivid view of the archaeological areas of Cairo, while the third hall will be dedicated to the central exhibition and highlight the most important achievements of Egyptian civilization in a historical sequence from prehistoric to the present, and is expected to end by the end of 2018. 

Partial opening

In February 2017, Antiquities Minister Khaled Anani opened the museum in part in the presence of many international and local public figures. The opening included a temporary exhibition hall on "Egyptian crafts and industries through the ages", on an area of 1,000 square meters containing about 420 artifacts that tell the evolution of Egyptian crafts through historical times and to date, the hall displays 4 characters: pottery, wood, textiles, ornaments, in addition to the presence of large screens showing a number of documentaries highlighting the history and development of each craft.

Zahi Hawass reported in late 2017 that Francis Ricciardon, president of the American University in Cairo, had donated 5,000 of her artifacts to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization hosted the draw for the 2021 Men's Handball World Championship.