Egyptian Museum

There is a big museum in Cairo, Egypt. It holds many old things from long ago. There are over 170,000 items inside!

People can see gold and large statues. Some items belonged to a king named Tutankhamun.

The museum moved to its current home in 1902. Moving things was hard work. They used many wooden carts and two trains. It is a very special place to learn.

The Egyptian Museum is in Cairo, Egypt. It has the largest collection of Egyptian items in the world. There are more than 170,000 items inside.

Long ago, the museum moved many times. In 1835, a museum was made near a garden. Later, a new museum opened in 1858 at Boulaq. A flood hit that building in 1878. Because of this, leaders wanted a better home. In 1889, the museum moved to a palace in Giza. Finally, the museum moved to its current home in 1902.

Moving the items was a big job. Workers used 5,000 wooden carts. They also used two trains for large items. One shipment had 48 stone coffins. They weighed over 1,000 tons!

Today, you can see many treasures. There are gold items and large statues. You can also see things from the time of King Tutankhamun.

The museum also has a large library. It holds over 50,000 books about history.

The Egyptian Museum is a very special place in Cairo, Egypt. It is a national history museum that holds many treasures. This museum has the largest collection of Egyptian items in the whole world. Inside, there are more than 170,000 different objects to see.

It is one of the largest museums in Africa. It was also the very first national museum in the Middle East. People visit from everywhere to see these ancient things.

The museum is organized so that visitors can learn in order. The items are grouped by different themes to make sense. Large stone statues are kept on the ground floor. This helps because they are very heavy and big. Funerary items are kept on the first floor. These are objects used in ancient burial traditions. The items are shown in chronological order. This means you see them in the order they were made.

This museum has a long and busy history. The first museum started in 1835 near a garden. Later, Auguste Mariette helped start a museum in Boulaq in 1858. That building was damaged by a Nile flood in 1878. Because of the flood, leaders wanted a safer, permanent home. In 1889, the items moved to a palace in Giza. Finally, the museum moved to its current home in 1902.

Moving the collection to the new building was a huge job.

Workers used 5,000 wooden carts to move things. They also used two trains for the largest items. They made about nineteen round trips between Giza and Cairo. One shipment alone had 48 stone coffins. These coffins weighed more than 1,000 tons in total! The new building was designed by the architect Marcel Dourgnon. It opened officially on November 15, 1902.

You can find many famous things inside the walls. There are treasures from King Tutankhamun, like his golden throne chair.

There are also statues of famous rulers like Hatshepsut and Ramesses II. The museum even has a very large library. This library has over 50,000 books and volumes. It holds maps, paintings, and old photographs too. It is a wonderful place to learn about the past.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is a vital national history museum located in Cairo, Egypt. It is an Egyptological museum, which means it focuses on the study of ancient Egyptian history and culture. The museum holds the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the entire world. This collection includes more than 170,000 individual items. It stands as one of the largest museums in Africa. It also holds the distinction of being the first national museum in the Middle East.

The museum's history involves many different locations and leaders. In 1835, the Egyptian government established an early museum near the Ezbekieh Garden. Later, in 1858, Auguste Mariette founded a new museum at Boulaq in a former warehouse. This building was damaged by a Nile flood in 1878. Because of this, Mariette advocated for a permanent building away from the river. By 1889, the Boulaq site was overcrowded and lacked storage. The artifacts were moved to a palace in Giza. Eventually, the collection moved to its current home in Tahrir Square in 1902.

Building the current museum was a massive engineering task. The French architect Marcel Dourgnon designed the building. The Italian company of Giuseppe Garozzo and Francesco Zaffrani completed the construction. The foundation stone was laid on April 1, 1897. Moving the items from Giza to Tahrir Square required immense effort. Workers used 5,000 wooden carts to transport the collection. Large artifacts were moved by two trains making nineteen round trips. One single shipment included 48 stone coffins. These coffins weighed more than 1,000 tons in total.

The museum uses a specific method to organize its massive collection. The exhibition style uses a gradual arrangement of halls. Large statues are placed on the ground floor for architectural reasons. Funerary items, which are objects used for burials, are on the first floor. These items are displayed in chronological order. This means they follow the timeline of history. The museum was once so full that it resembled a storage facility. Director Gaston Maspero compared the museum to a pharaonic tomb. He said the space was used just like a temple.

The collection is divided into several important historical periods. The Prehistoric Period includes pottery and hunting tools from early settlers. The Early Dynastic Period features the Narmer Palette and statues of Khasekhemwy. During the Old Kingdom, visitors can see statues of Djoser and Khafre. The Middle Kingdom offers treasures from princesses and statues of 12th Dynasty rulers. The New Kingdom contains the famous treasures of Tutankhamun. It also includes statues of Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, and Ramesses II.

Beyond the artifacts, the museum houses a significant research library. This library was established when the museum first opened. It has grown to a two-story size with two reading rooms. The collection contains over 50,000 books and volumes. It includes rare works on Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern archaeology. The library also stores maps, paintings, and photographs. This resource helps scholars study the ancient world in great detail.

In recent years, the museum has undergone major restoration. In 2012, a rehabilitation plan was launched to fix damage from pollution. This project was supported by the German Foreign Ministry. Workers restored the original color of the walls and the building's decorations. They also installed UV-protective glass to protect the artifacts from light. The museum upgraded its lighting systems in 2016 to allow nighttime visits.

These efforts ensure that the history of Egypt is preserved for future generations.