Why Egypt's new Grand Museum is dealing with backlash over chaotic ticketing

Officials have been forced to defend visitor policy that critics say is discriminatory

The number of tickets sold for the Friday a few days after it opened was more than the Grand Egyptian Museum had capacity for. Bloomberg

The Grand Egyptian Museum, a two‑decade project meant to anchor Egypt’s future as a heritage destination, opened to the public this month to much jubilation and pride.

But only days after doors opened on Tuesday, November 4, the world’s largest archaeological museum faced its first major test.

Three days later, more than 27,000 tickets were sold – far exceeding the daily limit of 20,000 that museum chief executive Ahmed Ghoneim said it could safely accommodate.

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With thousands left outside after the museum reached capacity, frustrated visitors moved towards the nearby Giza plateau, leading to chaotic scenes that were widely shared online and quickly cast as a symbol of mismanagement.

In a televised statement on Friday, Mr Ghoneim acknowledged that the museum had challenges and said it would reassess some of its policies.

Ticket sales, for now, are divided between online platforms and physical kiosks around Cairo, a system that contributed to over‑issuance on the record‑breaking Friday.

To address the problem, the museum will be switching to an online-only booking system from next month, Mr Ghoneim said. He said the museum's management has found it difficult to estimate attendance figures. These can vary because some visitors tour the galleries briefly while others stay for a whole day, creating a moving target for crowd control.

The Grand Egyptian Museum opened to the public on November 1. Mohamed Fathi / The National

Locals and foreigners

In the week after that chaotic Friday, thousands of Egyptians made angry social media posts saying they could not secure tickets for Sunday and Monday, some of them asking their MPs to step in and secure access.

Claims that 80 per cent of tickets were allocated for foreigners and 20 per cent for Egyptians were widely shared. The 80-20 split has been denied by Mr Ghoneim, who called it a “rumour”.

Under the museum’s evolving strategy, he explained, a set percentage of tickets on any given day will be allocated separately to Egyptians and foreign tourists – a ratio intended to regulate visitor flows and ensure a steady balance that reflects both local engagement and tourist demand during the high seasons.

The ratio, he added, would shift seasonally but “will never exceed 60‑40” in either direction.

Last Friday, according to Mr Ghoneim, the museum recorded 15,200 visitors, 56 per cent of them Egyptian, as he sought to reassure the public that locals still make up for the majority of visitors and that the policy is not meant to exclude them.

But that did not end the tension. Freddie El Bayady, a social democratic member of parliament and frequent critic of government policy, on Saturday submitted an official request to abolish the ticket quota, calling it discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Grand Egyptian Museum opens to the public – in pictures

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  People walk in front of a statue of King Ramses II at the entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), during the first day for visitors on Tuesday. Reuters

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  The golden coffin of ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun. Reuters

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  King Tutankhamun's ring. Reuters

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  Jewellery belonging to King Tutankhamun. Reuters

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  The golden shrine of King Tutankhamun. Reuters

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  Visitors in the gallery of King Tutankhamun. Reuters

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  The remains of one of two infant daughters of King Tutankhamun. AFP

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  Jewellery of King Tutankhamun. Reuters

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  A pair of sandals belonging to King Tutankhamun. AFP

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  Visitors walk inside the Khufu's Boats Museum, part of the Grand Egyptian Museum complex. EPA

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  A small wooden statue of King Tutankhamun (1341-1323 BC) as the god Re or Nefertem. AFP

Mr El Bayady said the measure deprived Egyptians of equal access to their own heritage. “How can the citizen of this land find no place at the same time that a foreigner may enter freely?” he wrote, arguing that Egypt’s constitution forbids discrimination in public access.

No comparable system, he claimed, exists in “any museum in the world”.

“The heritage of our homeland is not a commodity,” the MP said. “The right of Egyptians in their own land is not up for negotiation.”

Egyptian identity

Beyond the ticketing system, the Grand Egyptian Museum has become a stage for a broader conversation about Egyptian identity. A segment aired by television presenter Samar Foda drew controversy after she questioned the appearance of visitors wearing galabeyas, the traditional robes common in rural and southern Egypt.

She argued that if the museum’s purpose is to attract foreign tourists, visitors should dress in western clothing to fit the international image of the site. She said Egypt’s 20th-century fashion had been notably metropolitan and was a more accurate representation of Egyptian culture than the qaftan.

Her comments triggered a backlash that dominated Egyptian social media the following week. Many users shared photos of themselves in galabeyas and defended the outfit as the most authentically Egyptian form of dress.

Critics also accused Ms Foda of classism and of misunderstanding the museum’s role as a national institution, not merely a draw for tourists.

Egypt's new museum took two decades to complete and open. Bloomberg

The debate has reached television channels, with prominent state‑aligned commentators appearing on their own shows wearing galabeyas. Some remarked that a bespoke galabeya can cost more than a tailored suit, showing tradition can go together with sophistication.

Mr Ghoneim reiterated that the museum would fine-tune the online sales systems, introduce clearer ticket‑cap enforcement and co-ordinate with Cairo authorities to manage regional transport flows towards the Giza complex.

The opening of the $1 billion museum on November 1 – marked by a lavish ceremony attended by world leaders – had symbolised a new cultural chapter for Egypt, where the ancient and the modern meet.

For now, the museum stands as Egypt’s newest landmark – and, as its first week showed, a mirror reflecting deep conflicts within the country about identity, access and pride in the past.