CAIRO, March 17 (MENA) - Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli asserted that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has already set July 3 as a date for the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

Also, the president had ordered the establishment of a higher committee to be in charge of arranging for the official opening ceremony of the museum, he said.

Madbouli added while chairing a meeting of the organizing committee on Monday that many world leaders, including kings, heads of state and government and senior representatives of international organizations are expected to show up for the global event that will be covered by all international media outlets.

There will be security and logistics arrangements at the highest level, in addition to technical arrangements, according to him.

According to the Egyptian cabinet, celebrations surrounding this highly anticipated event will extend over several days with the aim of attracting widespread international attention.

Located near the newly opened Sphinx International Airport and offering a stunning view of the iconic Pyramids of Giza, the GEM will become the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization – ancient Egypt.

Covering an expansive 500,000 square meters, the GEM is twice the size of the Louvre Museum in Paris and 2.5 times larger than the British Museum in London.

The museum's soft opening was in November 2023, followed by a trial run in October 2024. It unveiled its gardens, cafés, the hanging obelisk, the atrium, the grand staircase, and the main galleries, which house 12 exhibition halls.

Shortly after, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) honored the GEM with the prestigious Prix Versailles award, recognizing it as one of the world’s most beautiful museums for 2024. (MENA)
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