Noteworthy New Museums To Visit In Egypt 2021

Three more reasons to visit Egypt. Sharm El-Sheikh National Museum in Sinai, Kafr El-Sheikh Museum in the Nile Delta and Royal Carriages Museum in Cairo. All three recently open up to the public and are home to artefacts, mummies, statues, clay and granite tablets, all covered with the ancient hieroglyphs that kept archaeologists bust for decades.

Sharm El-Sheikh National Museum

Opened in late 2020, the Sharm El-Sheikh National Museum is the first antiquities museum to be built in Sinai and is located on airport road, close to Naama Bay in South Sinai. Built on a budget of approximately US$52 million (EGP 812 million) the brand new museum consisting of 3 display halls, an open theatre, event squares in addition to retail space for the local craft.

Reason To Visit Sharm El-Sheikh National Museum

The museum consists of 5,200 artefacts from prehistoric times onwards covering the entire span of Egyptian civilization.

The head of the Museums Sector at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Moamen Othman, said that this museum provides an opportunity for tourists to enjoy the picturesque beaches of the city, practice fun water sports in the morning, and visit the museum at night to learn about ancient Egyptian civilization – all part of the ministry’s policy of integrating beach tourism with cultural tourism.

The Sharm El-Sheikh Museum illustrates the ancient Egyptian’s daily life during the New Kingdom, where the displayed artefacts portray the civilized life the ancient Egyptians were experiencing during that era.

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Animal Mummies

The museum’s animal mummies display illustrates the ancient Egyptians’ interest with the wildlife, revealing how the ancient Egyptians cared about animals, birds, reptiles, and insects to raise, sanctify, domesticate, and treat them. The museum collection consists of mummified cats, hawks, eagles, rams, crocodiles, and statues of baboons.

Hall of Civilizations

The Hall of Civilizations displays items from all other civilizations that have an interwoven history with Egypt, having left their footprints on the land of the Nile. Artefacts from Graeco-Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman eras including a complete Roman bath is on display.

The hall displays the beautiful inner and outer coffins of Isetemheb, the wife of Amun Panedjem II’s high-priest, who was herself a priestess of Isis, Min, and Horus in Akhmim. Notable are also Isetemheb’s canopic jars, papyrus collection, cosmetics, and perfume vessels, the head of a Hatshepsut statue, and Tanagra figurines depicting women wearing a variety of dresses.

A small section of the magnificent bedroom of Princess Shewikar, a member for the former royal family of Egypt, is on display. Similar to styles found in French royalty or Russian csars of a bygone era, the room’s green colour is decorated with golden foliage motifs and chandeliers. The exhibit also showcases jewellery and cosmetics that once belonged to this former ruling Mohamed Ali family.

Ten items from the world-renowned collection of ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun are also on display. However, these items will be moving to the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on the Pyramids Plateau once the new museum opens in late 2021. A statue of Ka, a consort of Tutankhamun, can also be viewed here. Two ancient Egyptian boats from Dahshour are also on display at the Sharm El-Sheikh museum, reflecting the Nile’s transportation system’s importance to the ancient Egyptians.

Opening Hours of Sharm El-Sheikh National Museum

The Sharm el-Sheikh Museum is open every day from 10 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 11 pm. The ticket prices are EGP 40 for Egyptian visitors, EGP 20 for Egyptian students, EGP 200 for foreign tourists, and EGP 100 for foreign students. Getting to the museum is easy as it is just 10 to 15 minutes (7km) away from the famous Naama Bay area.

A: Sharm El-Sheikh National Museum, Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt

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Kafr El-Sheikh Museum

The Kafr El-Sheikh Museum has also been officially opened in late 2020. The museum is situated in the Sana’a Gardens in Kafr El-Sheikh, on the Nile Delta and approximately 120 km or about two and a half hours drive from Alexandria. The museum reflects the city’s episodes in its different periods, as it was Egypt’s capital for some time during the ancient period.

Reason To Visit Kafr El-Sheikh Museum

The new museum exhibition tells the story of the ancient gods Isis and Osiris and the conflict between Horus and Seth. Visitors will learn about the history of the area and see objects that recount the history of science in ancient Egypt.

The museum has three exhibition halls that display artefacts and antiquities discovered in Lower Egypt, especially antiquities from Tel Al-Faraeen, previously known as Buto. The state once included Buto and Sakha’s ancient towns, some of the oldest political capitals in history. This region contains several archaeological sites dating back to the ancient Egyptian, Roman, Coptic and Islamic eras. Sakha is one of the stops that the Holy Family made during their flight into Egypt following king Herod’s edict on the birth of Jesus. The city of Sakha includes the Church of the Virgin, and there is also a slab said to bear the footprint of Jesus.

Opening Hours of Kafr El-Sheikh Museum

The Kafr El-Sheikh Museum is open all days from 9 am to 4 pm. The ticket prices are EGP 10 for Egyptian visitors, EGP 5 for Egyptian students, EGP 80 for foreign tourists, and EGP 40 for foreign students.

A: Kafr El-Sheikh Museum, Kafr Abu Tabl, Kafr Al-Sheikh, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt

Royal Carriage Museum, Cairo

The Royal Carriages Museum is located on 26 July Street in Boulaq, Cairo, just beside the historical mosque of Abu El Ellah.

Reason To Visit Royal Carriages Museums

The museum displays a collection of royal carriages, accessories and horse-guard uniforms across its many halls. In one of the halls, you will find the carriage gifted to the Khedive Ismail by the French Empress Eugenie during the official opening of Suez Canal.

The third hall is the museum’s core and displays ceremonial carriages once used by members of the former royal family for weddings, funerary occasions, and promenades. The fourth hall is dedicated to the uniforms of the chevaliers and riders who accompanied the carriages, while the fifth and last hall shows accessories used to decorate the carriages and horses, such as horseshoes, bridles and saddles.

The museum was established during the reign of the khedive Ismail in the late 19th century and was initially called the Department of the Khedival Carriages. Later the name was changed to the Management of the Royal Stables. After the 1952 Revolution, the building was named the Royal Carriages Museum. The museum was initially created to display royal carriages and the horses of the khedive Ismail and those owned by members of the royal family.

Opening Hours of Royal Carriages Museum, Cairo

The Royal Carriages Museum is open all days from 9 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm. The ticket prices are EGP 20 for Egyptian visitors, EGP 10 for Egyptian students, EGP 100 for foreign tourists, and EGP 50 for foreign students.

A: Royal Carriages Museum, 26 July Street in Boulaq, Cairo, Egypt

Do keep checking World Travel Magazine’s website and social media pages for the latest updates on places to visit in Egypt. In addition, keep an eye on Egypt Tourism’s website for their latest travel and tourism updates in their beautiful country. ◼

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© This article was first published online in Jan 2021 – World Travel Magazine.