National Museum of Egyptian Civilization


The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is a national museum in Cairo, Egypt. The museum displays a collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting the Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the modern era.
The museum is home to artifacts, models, photographs, manuscripts, oil paintings, artistic artifacts, and antiquities. Located in Old Cairo and overlooking the Ain El Sira lake, the NMEC was officially inaugurated on 3 April 2021, with the moving of 22 mummies, including 18 kings and four queens, from the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo, in an event termed the Pharaohs' Golden Parade.

Background

The permanent collection is divided into two separate regions; one chronological and the other is thematic. The chronological areas are the following: Archaic, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, modern and contemporary. The thematic areas are the following: Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking and the Gallery of Royal Mummies. UNESCO provided technical help to the museum.
The collections will be taken from other Egyptian museums such as the Egyptian Museum, the Coptic Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art, the Manial Palace and Museum in Cairo, and the Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria.

Museum halls

Main gallery

The main gallery helps visitors obtain an integrated idea of the Egyptian civilization and its most important achievements from prehistoric times to the modern era, in addition to the traditional culture that modern Egyptians have inherited. This gallery includes Nazlet Khater Skeleton, the Tent of Purification, the coffin of Sennedjem, the Nilos Statue, Minbar Aboubakr Ibn Mizhar, and the Al Falaha Statue, among other pieces.

Mummies Hall

The Royal Mummies’ Hall is designed to display the mummies of the ancient monarchs of Egypt. The design aims to give the visitor the feeling of strolling down the Valley of the Kings, where most of these mummies were originally resting. The hall includes 20 royal mummies, 18 kings, and 2 queens, from the 17th to the 20th dynasties.
List of mummies from 17th and 18th dynasties:
NameDynastyRole/Notable Facts
Seqenenre Tao17th DynastyKnown for resisting the Hyksos.
Ahmose-Nefertari18th DynastyFounder of the 18th Dynasty, wife of Ahmose I.
Amenhotep I18th DynastySon of Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, second ruler.
Meritamun18th DynastyPossible sister-wife of Amenhotep I.
Thutmose I18th DynastyExpanded Egypt’s borders significantly.
Thutmose II18th DynastySon of Thutmose I, husband of Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut18th DynastyFamous female pharaoh who assumed the throne.
Thutmose III18th DynastyRenowned as Egypt’s greatest conqueror.
Amenhotep II18th DynastySon of Thutmose III, known for military campaigns.
Thutmose IV18th DynastyKnown for the Dream Stele at the Great Sphinx.
Amenhotep III18th DynastyBrought Egypt to its peak of artistic and cultural power.
Queen Tiye18th DynastyGreat royal wife of Amenhotep III, influential in court.

List of mummies from 19th and 20th dynasties:
NameDynastyRole/Notable Facts
Seti I19th DynastyKnown for restoring Egypt’s glory after unrest.
Ramesses II19th DynastyKnown as “Ramesses the Great,” ruled for over 60 years.
Merenptah19th DynastySon of Ramesses II, fought the Sea Peoples.
Seti II19th DynastyFaced internal conflicts during his reign.
Siptah19th DynastyYoung pharaoh, possibly ruled under regency.
Ramesses III20th DynastyDefended Egypt from invasions by the Sea Peoples.
Ramesses IV20th DynastyContinued temple constructions but faced economic issues.
Ramesses V20th DynastyShort reign, known from the Wilbour Papyrus.
Ramesses VI20th DynastyFaced challenges in maintaining Egypt’s stability.
Ramesses IX20th DynastyLast significant ruler of the 20th Dynasty.

Textile Hall

The Egyptian Textile Gallery contains a collection that comprises approximately 600 artifacts.

Dye House

This ancient dye house dates back to at least the first century of the Fatimid period. It is the sole surviving evidence of Cairo’s ancient dye houses.

Ain el-Sera Lake

The museum is located next to the Ain el-Sera Lake, the area which has been developed from slums into a touristic site in 2022. It includes a restaurants area, an open-air theatre, green areas, wooden pergolas, fountains and a purification plant of lake water.

Accessibility and tickets

The museum provides easy access to suit all visitors such as free wheelchairs, designated parking spots, and elevators. Brochures in Braille are available on request; reservations in advance are required for sign-language tours.
The ticket prices for foreigners: 550 EGP for Adults, 300 EGP for Students.

Notable donations

In late 2017, Zahi Hawass reported that Francis Ricciardone, the president of the American University in Cairo, donated 5,000 of its artifacts to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

Usage

The museum hosted the final draw of the 2021 World Men's Handball Championship. The museum also has a Conservation Center and storage.