Grand Egyptian Museum, a decade in the making, makes trial opening

The long-awaited Great Egyptian Museum at the pyramids of Giza has made its biggest opening yet - although operators are still reluctant to name a date for the conclusion of this billion-dollar project more than 10 years in the making.

The colossal building, set to become the largest archaeological museum in the world, is now opening to visitors on a semi-regular basis.

Twelve galleries with an area of 18,000 square metres are open as part of a trial run intended to "test the ability to receive visitors," Deputy Minister of Antiquities Al-Tayeb Abbas said.

And yet the gallery holding the collection's crown jewels, so to speak, the glittering treasures of the ancient Egyptian child king Tutankhamun, is still closed, according to the Ministry of Antiquities.

A ticket for the trial opening costs the equivalent of around $24 or €22 for foreign visitors.

For a long time, the Egyptian Museum on Cairo's central Tahrir Square was home to the country's most important ancient treasures. However, as it was barely able to cope with the crowds, in 1992 the then President Husni Mubarak announced the construction of a new museum outside the centre.

Construction work finally began in 2012, but was repeatedly delayed due to the revolution in Egypt and then the coronavirus pandemic. Around 30 years after the announcement, the construction work on the project has now been completed at a cost of around $1 billion.

The most important parts of the collection from Tahrir Square have been moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum or to other buildings.

Last year, around 15 million foreign visitors came to Egypt. For many of them, a visit to the pyramids and a tour of the ancient treasures is essential.

There responsible ministry is giving neither a date nor a rough timetable for the museum's official opening. The devastating war in the neighbouring Gaza Strip and the acute economic crisis in Egypt are thought to have led to further delays.