Egyptian Museum facts for kids
| المتحف المصري | |
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| Established | 1902 |
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| Location | Cairo, Egypt |
| Type | History museum |
| Collection size | 120,000 items |
| Architect | Marcel Dourgnon |
The Egyptian Museum, also known as the Cairo Museum, is in Cairo, Egypt. It holds the world's biggest collection of items from Ancient Egypt. The museum has over 120,000 ancient pieces. Many of these are on display for visitors to see.
The museum building was finished in 1901. It is located in Tahrir Square and is the largest museum in Africa. Some of its most famous items are from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb. This includes his amazing gold burial mask. This mask is known worldwide and is a major symbol of ancient Egypt.
Contents
History of the Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum has many important items from ancient Egyptian history. It has the world's largest collection of items from the time of the pharaohs. The Egyptian government first opened a museum in 1835. It was near the Ezbekieh Garden. Later, it moved to the Cairo Citadel.
In 1855, Archduke Maximilian of Austria received many artifacts from the Egyptian government. These items are now in a museum in Vienna, Austria. A new museum was set up in 1858 in Boulaq. This happened after the new Antiquities Department was created. It was led by Auguste Mariette.
The building was next to the Nile River. In 1878, it was badly damaged when the Nile flooded. The collections then moved to a former royal palace in Giza in 1891. They stayed there until 1902. Then, they moved to the museum's current home in Tahrir Square. The building was designed by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon.
In 2004, Wafaa El Saddik became the first female director general of the museum.
During the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the museum was broken into. Two mummies were destroyed. Some artifacts were also damaged, and about 50 items were stolen. Since then, 25 of the stolen objects have been found. The restored items were shown in an exhibition in September 2013. It was called "Damaged and Restored."
This exhibition included two gold-covered statues of King Tutankhamun. There was also a statue of King Akhenaten. Other items included ushabti statues of Nubian kings. A child's mummy and a small glass vase were also displayed.
Selling Ancient Items
From 1902, the Department of Antiquities had a special room in the museum. This room, called the "Salle de ventes," was where original ancient Egyptian artworks were sold. Until the 1970s, dealers could bring ancient items to the museum. If museum officials approved, the items could be packed and sent out of Egypt. Many items now in private collections or other museums came from here. After much discussion, the sale room closed in November 1979.
Inside the Museum: Collections and Design
The Egyptian Museum has two main floors. These are the ground floor and the first floor. The ground floor has a large collection of big stone items. These include statues, carvings, and parts of buildings. They are arranged in time order, from the earliest ancient times to the Roman period.
The first floor displays smaller items. This includes ancient papers called papyri, coins, and fabrics. There is also a huge collection of wooden coffins, called sarcophagi.
Many of the papyrus pieces are small fragments. This is because they have decayed over thousands of years. These pieces have writing in several languages. These include Greek, Latin, Arabic, and ancient Egyptian. The coins on this floor are made of different metals. These include gold, silver, and bronze. The coins are not just Egyptian. They also come from Greek, Roman, and Islamic times. This helps historians learn about ancient Egyptian trade.
The ground floor also has items from the New Kingdom. This was a time between 1550 and 1069 BC. These items are usually larger than those from earlier times. They include statues, tables, and coffins. This floor has 42 rooms. Many items are on display, from coffins and boats to very large statues.
The first floor holds items from Egypt's last two dynasties. These include treasures from the tombs of pharaohs like Thutmosis III, Thutmosis IV, Amenophis II, and Hatshepsut. There are also many items from the Valley of the Kings. This includes everything found in the untouched tombs of Tutankhamun and Psusennes I.
Until 2021, two rooms held many mummies of kings and royal family members. On April 3, 2021, twenty-two of these mummies moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. They were moved in a big parade called The Pharaohs' Golden Parade.
Some collections are also moving to the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. This includes all the items from Tutankhamun's tomb. The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir has been very crowded. This is one reason why the Grand Egyptian Museum was built.
Remembering Famous Egyptologists
In the garden next to the museum building, there is a special memorial. It honors famous Egyptologists from around the world. It has a monument for Auguste Mariette. Around it are 24 busts (head and shoulder sculptures) of other important Egyptologists. These include Jean-François Champollion, who helped to understand hieroglyphs.
Gallery
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The Gold Mask of Tutankhamun, made of 11 kg of solid gold. It has moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum.
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Mummy mask of Psusennes I
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Mummy mask of king Amenemope of the 21st dynasty
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Mummy mask of Shoshenq II of the 22nd dynasty
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Colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye
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Khufu Statuette, a small ivory figure of Khufu
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Statue of Menkaure
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Bust of Akhenaten
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Statue of Hatshepsut
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Merneptah Stele
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Mummy mask of Wendjebauendjed
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Rahotep and Nofret (2575-2550 BC)
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Dwarf Seneb with his wife (2400-2500 BC)
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Ramesses III prisoner tiles
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Throne of Tutankhamun
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Wood sculpture showing a cattle count (2000 BC)
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Pyramidion from the pyramid of Amenemhat III at Dashur
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Canopic box from Tutankhamun's tomb
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See also
In Spanish: Museo Egipcio de El Cairo para niños
- Egyptian Museum of Turin
- Egyptian Museum of Berlin
- National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
- Grand Egyptian Museum
- List of largest art museums
- List of museums with major collections of Egyptian antiquities
