The Grand Egyptian Museum has officially opened. To mark the cultural occasion, royals and dignitaries from around the world flew into Cairo.
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, attended the ceremony on behalf of President Sheikh Mohamed.
Also in attendance were members of regional royal families, including Queen Rania of Jordan, who was joined by daughter Princess Salma; Oman's Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham; Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa; and Saudi Arabia's Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah.
On Instagram, Queen Rania described the opening as a "magnificent tribute to Egypt’s rich ancient history".
The inauguration was held in the presence of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, who greeted dignitaries with his wife, Entissar Amer El Sisi.
President El Sisi hailed the museum as opening a "new chapter" for the nation. Egypt was "writing a new chapter in the story of this ancient nation's present and future," he told the gathered crowd, which included 79 international delegations, including 39 heads of state and government.
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Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Giza with hosts President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and first lady Entissar El Sisi for the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum on November 1. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office -
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed , Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, was among the dozens of leaders and senior officials who attended the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza on November 1. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office -
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Giza with hosts President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and first lady Entissar El Sisi for the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office -
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, attends the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office -
Rarely-seen Egyptian actress Sherihan makes an appearance on stage at the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Photo: Instagram -
The opening of the museum at Giza was the culmination of a 20-year ambition to tell Egypt's story. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media office -
Dressed for the occasion, performers prepare at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza before the opening ceremony on November 1. EPA -
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi appears on a broadcast during the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum, as people watch on a big screen near Tahrir Square in Cairo, in front of Abdeen Palace Museum. Reuters -
King Felipe VI of Spain, centre, attends the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza, the world's largest archaeological museum. EPA -
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, centre, joins heads of state during the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, in Giza, Egypt for a 'family' photo on November 1. EPA -
Lightning effects depicting one of the ancient symbols formed by drones illuminate the sky above the Grand Egyptian Museum during the opening ceremony in Giza on November 1. Getty Images -
Lightning effects depicting the sarcophagus Egyptian King Tutankhamun formed by drones lights up the sky above the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to tens of thousands of artefacts including the entire 5,000-piece collection of treasures unearthed with Tutankhamun in one place for the first time since the discovery of the pharaoh's tomb in 1922. Getty Images -
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and first lady Entissar El Sisi, centre, with officials and guests during the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza. AFP -
A drone light show depicts the mask of ancient pharaoh Tutankhamen during the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Giza pyramid complex. Reuters -
A girl in costume watches the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum on a big screen near Tahrir Square in Cairo. Reuters -
Illuminations at the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, south-west Cairo. AFP -
Spectators watch the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum on a big screen near Tahrir Square in Cairo. Reuters
The opening ceremony began with an official group photograph of the attending delegations, followed by a musical symphony, accompanied by a drone and light show that illustrated the architectural harmony between the museum's design and the Pyramids of Giza.
The performances on the night included the debut of a piece written for the opening by Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih.
International royal attendees included Japan's Princess Akiko of Mikasa; Prince Albert of Monaco; Queen Mary of Denmark; King Philippe of Belgium; Spain's King Felipe VI; Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand; and Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro.
Rarely seen Egyptian actress Sherihan made an appearance on stage. She wore a gold sequinned Elie Saab gown and was joined by a troop of dancers, wearing uniform golden lamé dresses and black wigs.
Actors Ahmed Malek, Huda El Mufti, Ahmed Ghozzi, Salma Abudeif and Yasmina El Abd also took part in the ceremony. The actors all wore ancient pharaonic dress.
Ghozzi posted about the museum's opening on Instagram, writing: "Today was a legendary celebration befitting the greatness of our civilisation, the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened its doors to the whole world to see for themselves the beauty of Egypt's timeless history."
The Grand Egyptian Museum’s official opening ceremony took place on Saturday, and it will open in full to the public on Tuesday.
The museum contains an extensive collection of ancient artefacts, including the complete treasures of King Tutankhamun, showcased together for the first time since the discovery of his tomb in November 1922. With a collection of more than 100,000 artefacts, half of which will be on display, it is the world's largest collection devoted to a single civilisation, President El Sisi said in his speech.
Spanning 500,000 square metres and overlooking the Giza Pyramids, the museum site features 12 grand halls surrounded by landscaped gardens covering 120,000 square metres. It presents artefacts spanning Egypt’s history, from prehistoric times and ancient Egyptian civilisation through to the Greco-Roman era.
