Journey through ancient Egypt. Learn about powerful rulers. See the wonders of the Great Pyramid of Giza. You can do it all at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), in Giza, Egypt.
Many museums contain Egyptian artifacts artifact an object made by people of an earlier time (noun) , but the GEM has the largest collection of them in the world. The museum took more than 20 years to build. Its foundation was laid in 2002. It finally opened in November 2025.
TOWERING OBELISK Pharaoh Ramses II’s obelisk welcomes visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum.
COURTESY GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is the president of Egypt. At the museum’s grand-opening ceremony, he shared an important goal: to “make this museum a platform for dialogue, a destination for knowledge, a forum for humanity.”
Inspiring Artifacts
The history of Egypt’s rulers spans thousands of years. That’s a lot of history—and a lot of artifacts. There are more than 100,000 of them at the museum. Some have never been shown to the public. The GEM contains jewelry, statues, and pottery. It even has a mummified crocodile. Guests can explore virtual-reality exhibits. There’s a Children’s Museum for young adventurers.
ON DISPLAY The museum holds thousands of artifacts from ancient Egypt, such as these ceramics.
IWAN BANN
One highlight is the exhibit featuring King Tutankhamen, or King Tut. He was Egypt’s youngest pharaoh, buried more than 3,300 years ago. Archaeologists discovered his tomb in 1922. It contained nearly 5,400 objects. These are being shown in one place for the first time at the GEM. (Tut’s mummy isn’t on display at the GEM, it’s in Luxor, Egypt. See “Under Wraps.”)
Peter Der Manuelian is an Egyptologist Egyptologist a person who studies ancient Egyptian culture and history (noun) at Harvard University, in Massachusetts. He has visited the GEM three times. Der Manuelian told TIME for Kids that the museum is “spectacular.” He says it will give visitors from all over the world “a tremendous opportunity to study [ancient artifacts] in detail.”
Ancient Architecture
The GEM is near the Pyramids of Giza. These are ancient royal tombs built around 2500 BCE. In October 2025, the museum finalized a walkway connecting them with the GEM. Now people can stroll between the sites. Visitors can also see the pyramids from inside the museum, thanks to big windows atop its six-story staircase.
GRAND ENTRANCE This 36-foot-tall statue of Pharaoh Ramses II is housed inside the museum. It’s about 3,200 years old.
COURTESY GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUMThe museum’s architecture was inspired by Egyptian history. The front entrance is shaped like a pyramid. There’s also a structure called an obelisk outside. This tall stone monument belonged to Pharaoh Ramses II. He ruled Egypt for more than 60 years. Visitors who look closely can make out his signature on the obelisk.
ANCIENT KINGS These statues of pharaohs keep watch over the museum’s grand staircase.
COURTESY GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
Architect Róisín Heneghan helped design the museum. “At the Grand Egyptian Museum,” she told TFK, “it is almost like you have traveled back in time.”
Under Wraps
King Tut’s mummy isn’t at the GEM. But visitors to the museum can get an up-close look at other mummies. And they can learn about the ancient practice of mummification.
After important people died, their bodies were cleaned and preserved. Egyptians believed the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife. They believed they’d also need items such as food and jewelry. Mummies were buried with these things to help the dead in the next world.
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