This weekend, the world’s attention turns to Giza for the grand opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
This moment was decades in the making, but for me, it is deeply personal. For historians, archaeologists and Egyptophiles, this is the largest archaeological museum in the world. For 116 million Egyptians, it’s a new cultural landmark. But for me, it’s about my home.
My family’s house is in Giza, just 10 minutes away from the museum’s gates, in the Haram district. Growing up, I’d see the Pyramids every morning and watch them from my classroom window. Now, those same pyramids stand beside this monumental new building.
My family's WhatsApp group has been buzzing non-stop with updates about road closures, opening-night rehearsals, and speculation about who will sing at the ceremony. It feels like history is unfolding on streets I’ve walked my entire life.
The day Ramses II came home
My earliest memory and connection with GEM was in 2006, when I can clearly remember the day Ramses II moved to our neighbourhood. The giant 84-tonne statue, which once stood in Ramses Square in Downtown Cairo, was moved to his new home near GEM. It took cranes, engineers and a convoy of lorries to move it.
I remember it so clearly because the city practically came to a standstill to watch. We got the day off from school as the statue passed down Haram Street, right by my home.
I didn’t realise it then, but I was witnessing a piece of history being carried into my neighbourhood.
Watching GEM rise
GEM was first announced more than two decades ago, it was envisioned as a $1 billion gateway between Cairo and the pyramids. It would house over 100,000 artefacts, including the complete collection of Tutankhamun, for the first time since his tomb was discovered. The museum’s construction was anything but smooth.
It witnessed years of political unrest and global crises, which have halted its progress repeatedly. I saw it happen first-hand, riding past the site every day on my way to college. I watched cranes rise and fall, scaffolding appear and disappear, but the building gradually took shape.
To see it now, complete and glistening golden in the sunlight, is like watching a dream finally stand on its feet.
When I finally visited GEM for the first time this summer, it felt almost surreal. After years of seeing it from the outside and from behind construction fences, walking through its light-filled halls was like stepping into a familiar dream made real.
A new chapter for Giza
GEM’s official opening this weekend is a landmark moment for Egypt’s culture scene. It is not just an exhibition space, but an architectural statement in Giza. It’s designed to usher visitors from modern Cairo into the ancient world, with panoramic views of the pyramids framed perfectly through its massive glass walls.
For my neighbourhood, it’s been transformative. Roads have widened. The area has been upgraded. We’ve felt the attention.
All eyes will be placed on Egypt’s ancient past this weekend. To me, it’s a moment for my home and the streets I lived in.
