Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening delayed due to regional tensions
The Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening has once again been delayed due to the regional instability that has been caused by escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, according to The New Arab on June 15th.
The opening of the vast and ultra-modern museum has been delayed numerous times over the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, political instability, and various other reasons.
The Egyptian tourism and antiquities ministry announced in a statement that “in view of the ongoing regional developments, it was decided to postpone the official inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which was scheduled for July 3.”
The museum director has said that the Grand Egyptian Museum complex, which amounts to 50 hectares (120 acres), is twice as big as the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York and is two and a half times larger than the British Museum in London.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly revealed during a press conference on June 14th that the opening would be re-scheduled to the last quarter of 2025. The museum was originally scheduled to open in 2012; however it was only partially opened 12 years later on October 16th 2024.
He added that in light of heightened regional tensions, “we believed it would be appropriate to delay this big event so that it can maintain the appropriate global momentum.”
The Grand Egyptian Museum has been described as “the largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to one civilisation” by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
A plethora of world leaders and state officials were invited to attend the July inauguration, including Spain’s King Felipe VI and former US president Joe Biden.
This delay was prompted by the unprecedented airstrike engagement between Iran and Israel which has sparked intense fears that the Middle-East is on the precipice of a wider conflict.
The New Arab, Maghrebi.org
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