GEM remains incomplete, but what is there is worth seeing. - Grand Egyptian Museum On this, my third trip to Egypt, I had hoped that I would finally see the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which is intended to house all of the King Tut artifacts, many of which have never been exhibited before. To my dismay, the museum is still less than 25% open, but it is still worth the trip, not only for the great staircase of statuary in the soaring atrium, but also for the architecture of the building itself. The final building design was the winner of a world-wide competition of 1,557 entries, awarded to architects Róisín Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng, and their company Heneghan Peng Architects of Ireland in 2002, and it has been under construction since 2005. Pyramid and triangular shapes permeate every detail of the building’s design, from its general shape to the innumerable carvings and decorative moldings throughout. It would be a cliché to describe the entrance atrium as “soaring,” but nothing less describes it. In fact, the huge space dwarfs even the monumental 3,200-year-old Statue of Ramesses II that was placed on the first landing of the staircase in 2018. Many other marvelous statues and sculptures ascend the staircase, platform by platform. As a 72-year-old, partially disabled person in a wheelchair, I did not expect to get up the staircases, but with the extraordinary assistance of my helper, Mohamed, I was transported from landing to landing via a series of steep conveyor belts up which he pushed me with great effort. My experience would have been extremely limited without his heroic efforts. I thank him from the bottom of my heart. The personality and knowledge of the guide makes or breaks the entire experience, and I was lucky enough to “draw” the lovely and extremely knowledgeable Dalia Kamel (daliabashatours@gmail.com). A part-time television actress in her “other” life, she is also studying Japanese culture and language “on the side.” Dalia’s undergraduate and advanced studies in Egyptology have given her an encyclopedic knowledge of Egyptian history and culture, and she knows the provenance of every artifact on display in the museum by heart. And despite her extensive training, she does not lecture or come across as a bore. She presents the material in an engaging and comfortable manner, answering all questions (no matter how lame) with a reassuring smile. I was lucky to have her, and can’t recommend her services more highly. In conclusion, even though the Museum is still under development, that which can be seen is worth the trip, not only for the sculptures now on display, but also for the magnificent architecture of the building, itself a world-class work of art. .

Incomplete, but still worth a visit. - Grand Egyptian Museum On this, my third trip to Egypt, I had hoped that I would finally see the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which is intended to house all of the King Tut artifacts, many of which have never been exhibited before. To my dismay, the museum is still less than 25% open, but it is still worth the trip, not only for the great staircase of statuary in the soaring atrium, but also for the architecture of the building itself. The final building design was the winner of a world-wide competition of 1,557 entries, awarded to architects Róisín Heneghan and Shi-Fu Peng, and their company Heneghan Peng Architects of Ireland in 2002, and it has been under construction since 2005. Pyramid and triangular shapes permeate every detail of the building’s design, from its general shape to the innumerable carvings and decorative moldings throughout. It would be a cliché to describe the entrance atrium as “soaring,” but nothing less describes it. In fact, the huge space dwarfs even the monumental 3,200-year-old Statue of Ramesses II that was placed on the first landing of the staircase in 2018. Many other marvelous statues and sculptures ascend the staircase, platform by platform. As a 72-year-old, partially disabled person in a wheelchair, I did not expect to get up the staircases, but with the extraordinary assistance of my helper, Mohamed, I was transported from landing to landing via a series of steep conveyor belts up which he pushed me with great effort. My experience would have been extremely limited without his heroic efforts. I thank him from the bottom of my heart. The personality and knowledge of the guide makes or breaks the entire experience, and I was lucky enough to “draw” the lovely and extremely knowledgeable Dalia Kamel (daliabashatours@gmail.com). A part-time television actress in her “other” life, she is also studying Japanese culture and language “on the side.” Dalia’s undergraduate and advanced studies in Egyptology have given her an encyclopedic knowledge of Egyptian history and culture, and she knows the provenance of every artifact on display in the museum by heart. And despite her extensive training, she does not lecture or come across as a bore. She presents the material in an engaging and comfortable manner, answering all questions (no matter how lame) with a reassuring smile. I was lucky to have her, and can’t recommend her services more highly. In conclusion, even though the Museum is still under development, that which can be seen is worth the trip, not only for the sculptures now on display, but also for the magnificent architecture of the building, itself a world-class work of art. .

Wonderful visit to the GEM - The museum is breathtaking! Our guide was excellent. He had a thorough knowledge of Egyptology and answered all of our questions. He is also charming.