The official opening of the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilisation has been set for 1 November, with Belgium’s King Philippe and Prime Minister Bart De Wever in attendance.
Constructed by Henegan Peng Architects, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is located near the Giza Plateau and is perfectly aligned with the three pyramids and central Cairo, presenting significant design challenges.
The building is largely composed of triangular shapes with almost no right angles.
The project was executed by the Belgian company Besix and Orascom Construction through a joint venture responsible for all aspects of construction, including structural works, finishing, advanced MEP and ICT systems, artefact-preservation spaces, and secure environments.
Covering 490,000 m², the museum houses approximately 20,000 artefacts, including the full collection from Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb. Many of these items are being displayed together for the first time since their discovery in 1922.
Construction spanned more than a decade—partially disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic—and involved over 120 million work hours. Notable engineering features include 25-metre-high ceilings, 20-metre cantilevers, and a double-glazed façade with pre-stressed vertical cables, a first in Africa.
Among the most challenging operations was moving Pharaoh Khufu’s 4,500-year-old solar boat from the Giza site to the museum. Besix designed a custom-built steel cage and remote-controlled convoy to transport the artefact across the narrow archaeological field.
Since early 2024, visitors have been welcomed to the museum’s first galleries, greeted by the towering statue of Ramses II at the entrance and the world’s first suspended obelisk in the inner courtyard.
