The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo held its inaugural event on Saturday, drawing a huge amount of media and online attention to the beautiful new 258,000-square-foot facility with a massive drone and fireworks display.
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hailed the opening of the museum, after almost 20 years of construction, as an “exceptional event in the history of human culture and civilization.”
Sisi said the museum combined “the genius of ancient Egyptians and the creativity of modern Egyptians” in the hope of “enhancing the world culture and art with a new landmark that will attract all those who cherish civilization and knowledge.”
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The first stone for the new museum was laid in 2002. Construction began in earnest in 2005,
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