Grand Egyptian Museum: The Complete Guide to the World's Largest Archaeology Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) — opened to the public in 2023 after two decades of construction — is the largest archaeological museum in the world, a 480,000-square-metre complex at the foot of the Giza Plateau designed to house Egypt's entire archaeological collection, including more than 100,000 artefacts from Tutankhamun's tomb alone that had never previously been displayed simultaneously. The scale is genuinely unprecedented: the main hall staircase is flanked by 87 royal statues, and the building's translucent stone ceiling filters light over a 4,000-year-old Rameses II colossus at its entrance.

The Tutankhamun galleries are the centrepiece: over 5,000 objects from the boy king's tomb, including the golden death mask (arguably the most famous single archaeological object in existence), the golden shrine, the canopic chest, and the extraordinary golden throne decorated with an intimate scene of the king and queen. Many of these objects have never been publicly displayed before and the quality of the exhibition is extraordinary.

The rest of the permanent collection spans predynastic Egypt through the Ptolemaic period — a continuous 5,000-year chronological journey through one of history's most documented civilizations. The Children's Museum, the Solar Boat Museum (housing the 4,500-year-old Khufu ship), and the Virtual Reality experiences are additional options within the complex.

Book tickets online in advance, especially for the Tutankhamun galleries (separately priced from general admission). The museum is large enough that a full day is needed for serious exploration. The location 2km from the Pyramids of Giza makes a combined visit logical; allow a full day for both.