The long-awaited, official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum on 3 July has been postponed but once more. On Saturday, the Egyptian prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, introduced that the museum’s full launch will happen within the final quarter of this 12 months, as a result of outbreak of warfare between Israel and Iran.
“In mild of the present regional developments, it has been determined to postpone the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum,” the tourism and antiquities ministry mentioned in a reported assertion. “A brand new date … shall be introduced sooner or later, following coordination with all related authorities to make sure the organisation of an occasion that displays Egypt’s outstanding cultural and tourism standing on the worldwide stage.”
The museum is usually open already, with sections such because the conservation studios which were working since 2010, and the modern programme, which has been operating since 2023. Final autumn, the museum opened most of its Egyptian galleries, together with the grand staircase that Egypt hopes will turn out to be an iconic characteristic of the 81,000 sq. m. museum. However the GEM held off on its Tutankhamen galleries, saving this sought-after part for the high-level opening.
It’s one more delay for the museum, which was first introduced as a mission in 1992. The explanations are quite a few, starting from political instability to monetary setbacks to the Covid pandemic. It’s broadly understood that the museum postponed its official opening final autumn as a consequence of sensitivities across the regional political state of affairs. As a neighbour to each Gaza and Sudan, Egypt has been severely affected by these conflicts, with an estimated 1.2 million Sudanese coming into Egypt within the first 19 months of the Civil Struggle, in accordance with authorities figures, in addition to 1000’s of Gazans by way of the Rafah crossing. The nation can be nonetheless recovering from a forex disaster in 2022 to 2024, when the worth of the Egyptian pound plunged by 75%.
Whereas Egypt shouldn’t be concerned within the Iran-Israel battle, the museum has once more taken the choice that it’s not the correct second to carry a celebration.
“This resolution additionally stems from Egypt’s nationwide accountability and its dedication to presenting a really distinctive international occasion in an environment worthy of the grandeur of Egyptian civilisation and its distinctive heritage, and in a approach that ensures broad worldwide participation aligned with the importance of the event,” the ministry’s assertion mentioned.
The sentiment seems to be mirrored on the bottom. A number of Cairenes and Egyptians that The Artwork Newspaper spoke to all agreed with the museum’s resolution, and apprehensive for the escalating tensions.
