Stefanitely Over It

As someone who has lived in Cairo Egypt for over a decade, I am quite embarrassed to admit I have not visited any of the ancient sites. We’ll get into that in another blog though. I decided to take my oldest daughter with me to see the Grand Egyptian Museum.

When we entered the museum, we were greeted by a statue of Ramses II in the grand hall. As a lover of ancient Egypt, I couldn’t help but stand in awe of the towering statue. The amount of detail was magnificent.

As we made our way to the gallery, the steps were aligned with altar tables, more statues, pillars and magnificent archways.

For extremely sensitive people like myself, you can just feel the energy emanating from all of the artifacts and sculptures in the building.

Statues of ancient Kings and Queens were easily accessible to visitors. Don’t get any ideas though, museum SEAL staff were on high alert to make sure guests did not touch the statues.

As we continued up the stairs, (there is an escalator for those who prefer to take that, and the museum is also handicap and stroller accessible for guests in need of assistance.) we came to Mother Sekhmet in all her glory. Regardless of the condition of any of the statues inside the museum, she managed to captivate guests with her commanding presence.

At the top of the stairs, you enter the gallery. Now, I should say before entering the gallery there is a children’s museum halfway up, beside the escalator. Parents can drop their children off for their own experience as they go upstairs to the final floor to view the gallery.

Once inside the gallery, we got to view a number of exquisite artifacts, many of which were in excellent condition.

Guests were also able to see ancient Egyptian tombs. Which were well lit and again easily accessible for visitors.

We were privileged to get to watch a sarcophagus getting cleaned. My daughter found it quite fascinating as it was one of her questions coming into the museum.

In one of the lower levels we got to see some artifacts from “sunken cities”. I wish it had been bigger, but it was still lovely. This photo of the goddess Aphrodite doesn’t do her justice so you’ll have to go visit the museum and see her for yourself.

As we entered the King Tut exhibition I was rather annoyed at some of the other tourists who were taking photos with their flash on. PSA: When going to a museum or ancient site DO NOT take photos with your flash on as it causes damage to the artifacts. Also please be sure to read the museum policy before you visit. We booked our tickets online beforehand and the museum sent us our tickets for scanning and an info packet to help us prepare for our visit. It was extremely helpful.

I have to say that while we found our entire experience absolutely wonderful, we were completely blown away by the King Tut exhibit.

We stood in a queue for our turn to get close-up photos of his burial mask. The queue did not take very long and was very organized with staff to give each group a fair amount of time and space to take photos with the mask.

Unfortunately, due to a massive glare, I decided not to post my photo beside the funeral mask. However, this is my absolute favorite shot. The detail is exquisite and it showcases just how close visitors are able to get.

After seeing many, many beautiful artifacts and the tombs, we walked past his burial wrap.

A tour guide had admitted that the black linen used to wrap was not the original however the golden piece was what was on his mummy. I absolutely love that they used black linen the contrast with the golden piece is stunning.

I absolutely love how intact this piece was kept. You can see the beauty of all that detail and it’s absolutely breathtaking.

Before leaving the museum for the day, we did walk outside heading towards the Kufu Boat Museum. Unfortunately, we did not have time to see that museum, however, it is on the itinerary for our next visit. I couldn’t resist a walk-through to see the Sekhmet statues at the fountain.

For those looking to have a visit at the museum, don’t forget to check out the GEM Shop to get lovely souvenirs. While we were checking out our items, the cashier was talking to us about the busy season and the off-season. Surprisingly enough, he mentioned that it is quite slower in the summer than it is in the winter as most tourists prefer to come when it’s cooler. So if you’re not afraid of the heat and the sun, I highly recommend visiting the museum during the summer season so that you’re able to fully enjoy the experience without the massive crowd. We booked early in the morning at 10 AM. By 1 PM we noticed that the crowd had gotten much bigger. So book early, book during the summer and be prepared to make an entire day out of visiting the museum.

Don’t forget to check out all of the other amazing sites, especially the pyramids of Giza. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants and nightlife for tourists in Giza and if you’re not afraid of a little cab fare, I recommend taking a drive to visit Maadi for it’s artistic activities and nightlife.

If you’re ever in Maadi and looking for something to do in the mornings, I would personally recommend Nile Dragons Academy at the Maadi yacht club. They offer rowing and kayaking on the Nile for very reasonable prices. Who knows you might even get to row with me.

Hope you enjoy watching the highlights from my GEM trip. Follow me on Instagram for more updates and photos.