CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square

This museum is the most famous landmark in Egypt, holding great and unique ancient Egyptian collections.

Let’s go back a little bit before building the Egyptian Museum Due to the discoveries of Napoleon Bonaparte’s expedition, Egypt built the Cairo Museum to conserve the objects. This museum was an initial house at Ezbakiyya. Unfortunately, in 1855, Abbas Pasha gave the museum contents to the Duke of Austria and ordered the closing of the Cairo Museum in Ezbakiyya.

In 1858, Auguste Mariette proposed to establish a new museum in Boulaq to house the ancient Egyptian monuments. But misfortune for the second time, this museum was washed away by the annual flooding of the Nile River.

In 1881, Maspero reopened the Boulaq Museum and became its director.  In 1891, the contents of the Boulaq Museum were transferred to the palace of Khedive Ismail.

On November 15, 1902, the current museum in Tahrir Square is opened by Khedive Abbas Helmy II result of Maspero’s suggestion to exhibit the contents which were in the palace of Khedive Ismail.

Let’s go on a tour in the Egyptian Museum The design of Museum building was selected in an international competition launched in 1895. The uniqueness in this design is that it is mixing between ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles.

The museum houses approx. unparalleled 160,000 objects dating from the prehistoric period to the Greco-Roman period displayed on two floors in 107 halls.

These unique collections are such as the statuette of King Cheops, Narmer Palette, Thuya and Yuya treasures, jewelry of Tanis, etc.

CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

Gayer Anderson Museum or Bayt Al-Kritliyya

Gayer Anderson Museum, or Bayt Al-Kritliyya, is one of the most perfect examples of Islamic domestic architecture in Islamic Cairo; It is located beside Ibn Tulun Mosque. This museum consists of two houses.

The first house is on the east. It was founded by Hajj Mohammad Al-Gazzar in 1632. Later, this house was bought by a lady from Crete Island, so it is called Bayt Al-Kritliyya or Al-Kritliyya House.

The second one is on the west. It was built in 1540. It was called the house of Amna bint Salim. Later, these two houses were connected by a bridge.

But who is Gayer Anderson    Robert Gayer Anderson was a doctor in the British army. He decided to stay in Egypt and bought this house in 1935. After Robert Gayer Anderson’s death, this house is changed to be a museum displaying Gayer Anderson’s collections like oil paintings and ancient Egyptian collections.

Let’s take a tour in the rooms of this house 1 – The Sabil Room or the public drinking fountain. Now, this room displays collections exhibiting the legends of the house.

2 – Then, after ascending a few steps on the west side of the house, you with find the loggia. Enjoy its view and taking amazing photos.

3 – Then, the reception hall, distinguishing with its Islamic decorations.

4 – The picture gallery. In this room, you will find the oil paintings and drawings collected by Gayer Anderson.

5 – Then move to the museum room to see the ancient Egyptian collections of Gayer Anderson.

6 – You will ascend to the roof terrace to be amazed by this view overlooking Ibn Tulun Mosque.

Gayer Anderson Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours

7 – At the end of your tour, you will find a room displaying Gayer Anderson’s medical tools because he was an obstetrician and gynecologist.

CategoriesBlog Cultural Events By Egyptian Adventure

The Egyptian Royal Mummies Parade

On April 3rd, Pharaohs will be in a New Museum. Egypt waits for a great historical event (Royal Mummies Parade). The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is preparing to transfer the royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to a new home, to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC).

For getting ready for the Royal Mummies Parade, the Egyptian government and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities develop and decorate Tahrir Square by adding an ancient Egyptian obelisk and four ram-headed sphinxes.

Twenty-Two Pharaonic mummies of Kings and queens will be moved in a royal procession using vintage cars, horses, chariots, and musical shows. This parade will start from Tahrir Square, passing beside the Nile corniche, and reach its final destination in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat.

These Twenty-Two Pharaonic mummies of Kings and queens are eighteen mummies for kings and four mummies for queens. Those kings and queens are Seqnen Ra, Thutmose I, Thutmose II, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Thutmose IV, Amenhotep I, Amenhotep II, Amenhotep III, Seti I, Ramses II, Seti II, Ramses III, Ramses IV, Ramses V, Ramses VI, Ramses IX, Ahmose Nefertari, Merit Amon, Siptah, Merenptah, and Queen Tiye.

  • The first cache was found south of Dier El-Bahri Luxor in 1881 in tomb 320. In 1871 a member of the Abdul Rassul family found a corridor. He entered it to find a treasure of gold and coffins. The family kept their discovery secret, but the discoverer of the tomb asked for more money; this started a fight, and the entire story came out what led to that the Egyptian government began to move all forty royal and non-royal mummies to Cairo in 1881 and entered the Egyptian Museum.
  • The second cache was found by Victor Loret in 1898 behind a decorated wall in the Amenhotep II tomb.  The number of royal mummies is 9 mummies.
  • The third cache was found in Deir El-Bahri, also by the Abdul Rassul family near the tomb of Queen Neferu.  This cache had mummies that were dated to the 21st Dynasty and belonged to the priests of Amon.

These mummies, coffins, and sarcophagus were moved to the Egyptian Museum in 1892, and their number was one hundred and fifty-three coffins.