The Egyptian Museum Cairo: Tutankhamun and Beyond

The Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square opened in 1902 and holds the world’s largest collection of pharaonic antiquities — over 120,000 objects, of which only a fraction are on display at any one time. It sits at the north end of Tahrir Square in central Cairo, a pink neoclassical building that was the largest museum in Africa when it was built. It has since been joined by the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) at Giza, which opened fully in 2023 and holds the Tutankhamun collection in purpose-built galleries. Both are worth visiting; they complement rather than duplicate each other.

The Tutankhamun Galleries

The most visited section of the Tahrir museum — and the primary draw for many visitors — has been the Tutankhamun Galleries on the upper floor. These hold the objects discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 when he excavated KV62 in the Valley of the Kings: the gold death mask, golden shrines, gilded chariots, canopic equipment, jewellery, furniture, and several thousand other objects from the tomb of a pharaoh who died around age 19 and ruled for approximately nine years.

The death mask is approximately 54cm tall and weighs around 11kg. It is solid gold with inlaid blue glass representing the lapis lazuli traditionally used in royal regalia, and with carnelian, turquoise, and other semi-precious stones. The mask is one of the most technically accomplished objects to survive from the ancient world.

The transfer of the Tutankhamun collection to GEM was underway as of 2025; the status of specific objects at each location should be confirmed before visiting, as the situation was changing.

The Royal Mummy Room

The Royal Mummy Room requires a separate ticket beyond the standard museum entry. It holds a selection of royal mummies from the New Kingdom, including Ramesses II, whose mummy was identified in the Deir el-Bahari cache discovered in 1881. The room has controlled lighting and climate for preservation. Photography is not permitted.

The mummies provide an unusually direct physical connection to historical figures — Ramesses II’s face, in particular, is remarkably well-preserved given that he died around 1213 BC at an estimated age of 90. For visitors with an interest in ancient Egypt beyond the objects and monuments, the mummy room is worth the additional cost.

The Building Itself

The 1902 neoclassical building was designed by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon. It was functional rather than architecturally distinguished, but the fabric of the building — the slightly chaotic labyrinthine layout, the old wooden cases with handwritten labels, the sheer density of objects — gives the Tahrir museum a character that more modern institutions lack. Some visitors find this overwhelming; others find it more engaging than the curated clarity of GEM’s display approach. Both reactions are reasonable.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

GEM sits adjacent to the Giza Plateau, roughly 15km southwest of Tahrir. It is purpose-built, opened in stages from 2021 with a full opening in 2023. The Tutankhamun galleries at GEM are designed around the collection in a way the Tahrir museum’s original layout was not — the 5,000 objects from the tomb have space for the first time.

GEM also holds the Grand Staircase, lined with colossal royal statues, and a substantial café and retail infrastructure that the Tahrir museum lacks. Timed entry tickets are available online and reduce queuing significantly at peak times.

Practical Advice

The Tahrir museum is open daily; mornings before 11am are significantly less crowded than midday visits. The museum covers four floors and an estimated full visit — covering the highlights rather than attempting every gallery — takes 2–3 hours. Audio guides and licensed guides are available at the entrance.

For first-time visitors to Egypt with limited time, GEM may offer a more curated and less exhausting introduction to the collection. For those returning or with a specific interest in a particular period or object type, the depth of holdings at Tahrir remains unmatched.