Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities The Museum

Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has of more than 120, 000 ancient artefacts.

The collection of Egyptian antiquities began in the 1830 s. The present collection was began by Auguste Mariette. He supervised many important excavations during his thirty years in Egypt.

The contents of the museum date from the Prehistoric Period of Egypt through to the end of the Roman era. The exhibits are arranged in chronological order on two floors, with 42 rooms on the first floor and 47 rooms on the second plus annexes at the entrance.

The most popular by far of the museum’s treasures are housed in the Tutankamun gallery on the upper floor. These remarkable artefacts from the boy-king’s tomb, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.

On the ground floor posted a colossal statue of Rameses II and a massive statue pair of Amenhotep III and his wife Tiye as its focus. The best view of the rotunda is looking down from the upper gallery.

The museum also houses a superb collection of royal and private statuary, reliefs and paintings from all eras as well as many smaller artefacts for daily or funerary use (often the most interesting).

In the museum also houses a library which specialises in ancient Egyptian civilisation and is considered one of the most important libraries of Egyptology in the world.