Thousands of visitors entered the Grand Egyptian Museum on Tuesday as almost the entire collection of King Tutankhamun's treasures - more than 4,500 artefacts - was displayed together for the first time since the discovery of his tomb in 1922.
The collection was unveiled to the public two days after the museum's lavish opening ceremony on Saturday.
Visitors also had the opportunity to view the Khufu Sun Boat, described as the oldest and largest wooden artefact in human history. These 4,600-year-old funerary boats, made of cedar and acacia, were intended to transport the king into the afterlife.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi officially opened the billion-dollar showcase of pharaonic grandeur on Saturday in a ceremony attended by kings, queens, heads of state and other dignitaries.
“This museum is not just a place to preserve valuable antiquities, it is living proof of the genius of the Egyptians who built the pyramids and etched immortality on the walls of its temples," Mr El Sisi said.
Japan financially and technically assisted in building the museum, which spreads across nearly half a million square metres.
Among the highlights of the museum are a colossal statue of Ramses II in the atrium, a hanging obelisk dedicated to the same king, and a “Journey to Eternity” staircase lined with statues of gods and pharaohs.
Egypt hopes the museum will revive tourism and bolster its economy.
Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy expects five million annual visitors, which would make it among the most visited museums in the world.
So far, he said, it had welcomed 5,000-6,000 visitors each day.
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Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
