The idea of establishing the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization dates back to 1982, when UNESCO announced an international campaign to establish the National Museum of Civilization and the Nubia Museum in Aswan. From 2000 to 2005, and the foundation stone for the museum building was laid in 2002.
The first true cultural museum in Egypt, it is located in the archaeological site of Fustat in Old Cairo, overlooking Ain El Sira Lake. The museum was designed by the Egyptian architect Al-Ghazali Qusaybah. The exhibition spaces were designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. It will showcase Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day, using a multidisciplinary approach that shines a light on the country’s tangible and intangible heritage.
The permanent collection is divided into two separate areas, one arranged chronologically and the other thematically. Time zones are the following: Ancient, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, Modern and Contemporary. Thematic areas will be as follows: Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking, Exhibition of Royal Mummies. UNESCO provided technical assistance to the museum.
The museum’s collections will be displayed in a permanent exhibition essential to the major achievements of Egyptian civilization, with six thematic exhibits covering the dawn of civilization, the Nile, writing, state and society, material culture, beliefs and thinking, and an exhibition of royal mummies.
