Egyptian Museum Cairo: Treasures of the Ancient World

The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square houses the world's largest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts — over 120,000 objects spanning five millennia of civilisation, from predynastic figurines to Graeco-Roman mummies. For anyone with even a passing interest in ancient history, a morning in the Egyptian Museum is one of the most extraordinary experiences available anywhere on earth.

The museum's most celebrated treasures are housed in the upper floor Tutankhamun Galleries — the golden death mask of the boy king is the most famous single object in Egyptian archaeology, a masterpiece of ancient craftsmanship that draws crowds from the moment the museum opens each morning. The galleries also contain Tutankhamun's golden throne, his innermost coffin of solid gold, and thousands of objects buried with him when he died at approximately 18 years of age around 1323 BC.

Beyond Tutankhamun, the Royal Mummy Room holds the preserved remains of 22 pharaohs including Ramesses II and Seti I, while the ground floor contains colossal statues, painted coffins, and extraordinary artefacts from across 3,000 years of pharaonic civilisation. The museum's sheer scale can be overwhelming — consider hiring one of the museum's licensed guides for a focused two-hour tour of the highlights before exploring independently. The Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza is progressively opening with even more extensive collections and modern presentation of Egypt's ancient heritage.