The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

The Egyptian Museum also called the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities(or Cairo Museum) which has a vast collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts is sitting on the edge of Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.  

The Cairo Museum was founded by the Egyptian government and was constructed in 1835, not far from the Elizabeth Garden. It was later relocated to the Cairo Citadel. The Egyptian government later donated all the artifacts to Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1855. The artifacts can now be found in Vienna in a museum called the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
After the new Antiquities Department was founded at Boulaq in 1858 under the leadership of Auguste Mariette, a new museum was opened there in a former warehouse. It was a building located along the Nile River which later sustained serious damage when the Nile River flooded in 1878. The collections of the museum were then relocated to an ex-royal Palace in Cairo's Giza neighborhood in 1891. The new location accommodated the collections till 1902 when they were once more relocated to the current Tahrir Square museum that was constructed in 1902 by an Italian firm.
 

The ground floor and the first floor are the two main floors of the grand Museum.

The Ground Floor 
The ground floor features a vast collection of monumental stones, reliefs, statues, and many other architectural designs. These monuments are organized starting with the pre-dynastic era and ending with the Greco-Roman era. 
You can also find antiquities from the New Kingdom, which lasted from 1550 to 1069 BC. Compared to pieces made in earlier centuries, these artifacts such as tables, statues, and coffins are typically larger. This floor has 42 rooms. And as you enter through the security checkpoint you'll be faced with the atrium and the back part of the building. You have a lot of things to see in this area.

The First Floor
Smaller pieces, such as papyri, textiles coins, and a bug wooden sarcophagi are showcased on the first floor. Although most of the papyrus pieces are vanishingly small as they have decayed over the previous two millennia. Of the many languages on these objects are Arabic, Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Latin. Bronze, gold, and silver are just a few of the metals used in the coins on this floor. Along with Egyptian coins, there are also Greek, Islamic and Roman coins. This has aided historians' studies of Ancient Egypt's commerce history. 
Items from the Pharaohs' tombs and treasures from the Valley of the Kings are among the artifacts from the last two Egyptian dynasties that can be found on this floor.

The precious possessions of King Tutankhamun as well as some other possessions of the greatest Pharaohs of ancient Egypt are housed within the walls of the grand Museum. The walls of the building also housed mummies, jewellery and possessions, and even food bowls of ancient Egyptians that were buried together with the kings for use in the afterlife. 
 

The Egyptian Museum is a big museum famous for having over 100 thousand objects, including the items from Tutankhamun's tomb and the majority of the mummies found in the 19th century. The Museum is also known to be home to a vast and remarkable collection of antiquities, coffins, stones, and many more historical pieces.

Here are some of the famous items in the Egyptian Museum:

The Mask Of Pharaoh Tutankhamen is a golden mask that belonged to the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamen. The mask which is made from 2 layers of high-karat gold weighs 10.23 kg.  On the back of the mask is a protective spell. This is a must-see item in the Egyptian Museum.

Another item is the Ka-aper Statue, one of the Old Kingdom's treasures. Made from sycamore wood, the statue depicts Ka-aper the chief lector priest in charge of saying prayers for the dead. The eyes of the statue which are made from copper plates and rock crystal give it a lifelike realism.

The Statue Khafre is another noteworthy item; one of the many statues in the Egyptian Museum. is an image of Pharoah Khafre who ruled ancient Egypt in the fourth dynasty. He was the one who built the second largest Pyramid at Giza. The statue which is made from anorthosite gneiss(a very hard stone) was discovered in his Pyramid's Valley temple.

The Gold Chest with Canopic Jars 
This gold chest holds four canopic jars and is remarkably an astonishing treasure in the museum that you shouldn't miss. 
 

The museum is open from Mondays to Sundays. You can get into the museum from 9 am to 5 pm.

Although a general ticket costs 160 EGP and an entrance ticket to the Royal mummies Hall costs 180 EGP, you can get a 300 EGP combo ticket that covers both.

A student with an international Student Identification Card can enjoy a discount.

The museum is usually packed with people. But there are fewer people during the day so you might want to visit between 12 pm and 2 pm.

Although having a guide is not a requirement for entering the museum, having an experienced guide is an excellent choice. You can choose a guide from the many ones you'll see in front of the museum.

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