GIZA | The Grand Egyptian Museum | $600 Million | Under Construction | July 2015

[eskandarany]

Originally Posted by the_egyptian

I can see it.
Maybe it works only in Egypt.

doesn't work for me either, maybe theyre updating it

[egypt69]

Works for me

[xAbd0o]

Interesting article about the museum.

4000 Years After The Pyramids, Egypt Builds A New Landmark

CAIRO (Zawya Dow Jones)--More than 4,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians left their mark on the world when they built the Giza pyramids. Today, Egypt is about to start construction of another landmark, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the world's largest Pharaonic museum.

Within weeks, local authorities will award contracts to build the long-awaited, estimated $500 million museum, which will be located near the pyramids on the Giza plateau on the outskirts of Cairo. Covering an area of about 180,000 square meters--equivalent to about 25 football pitches--the museum will be a spectacular addition to the country's already long list of tourist attractions.

"The design of the museum and the way artifacts will be displayed will give rise to a new era of tourism in Egypt," said Waleed Abdel Fattah, North Africa vice president at Hill International Inc. (HIL), the New York-listed construction management firm that manages and supervises the museum construction in a joint venture with EHAF Consulting Engineers.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, hopes the project will provide a boost for the local tourism industry, which accounts for roughly 11% of gross domestic product. Higher revenues from tourist spending in turn would help narrow the country's budget deficit, which reached 7.2% in May.

"The project is a profit center. It will generate great revenues, if the market strategy is done well," said Abdel Fattah.

Work on the project's site is due to start by the first quarter of 2011, with the museum scheduled to open its doors to visitors for the first time by 2013. The project's final stage will be completed within two years from the initial opening.

Designed by Heneghan Peng Architects of Ireland, the Grand Egyptian Museum will have capacity for 15,000 visitors a day, or more than 5 million visitors per year, which is almost half of the 12 million tourists who visited Egypt in 2009.

EXPENSIVE

With a price tag of $500 million, the museum will be one of the country's most expensive tourism projects ever. Financing has been secured in the form of soft loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, or JBIC, which is providing about $350 million, while the remainder will come from the Egyptian government, including the Ministry of Culture and the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Hill earlier in July received responses from about 10 groups of companies seeking prequalification to bid for the contract to build the museum building, the exhibition halls and carry out external building works. The local Orascom Construction Industries along with Besix Group--Belgium's largest construction group--and Dubai's Arabtec Holding are among those competing for the contract, according to Hill.

The plans to build the museum are going ahead at a time when world economies continue to struggle with the fallout from the global financial crisis. But the timing of the project is still good, Abdel Fattah said.

"Somehow the timing is good. Two years ago, we would have had higher building prices. Also, contractors now have a bigger appetite for work," he said.

The new museum, which will also house the Tutankhamun collection, will contrast sharply with Cairo's existing museum, which was built in 1902 at the heart of the city's throbbing downtown area. The old museum, which is known for its disorganization, has around 200,000 artifacts lying around in the basement. A couple of years ago, 38 pieces of jewelry from the Roman period went missing, highlighting the need to keep a record of the stored artifacts.

"What is special about the project is the amount of artifacts displayed. There is no museum worldwide that has this amount of artifacts," said Shadia Kenawy, chairman of the executive committee for project implementation at Egypt's Ministry of Culture.

Of the museum's 100,000 artifacts, 50,000 will be displayed, with the other 50,000 to be used for training purposes, Kenawy said, adding that a planned local training center was eventually to become a global training center.

"Cairo needs a lot of different types of museums. The Grand Museum will help make Cairo the world city it deserves to be," said Mounir Soliman, president of Environmental Quality International.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20100719000037

[egypt69]

Grand Egyptian Museum Opening Brought Forward to 2012 as Contractors Sign New Deal



Mid-2012 was confirmed last week as the projected point of opening for the Grand Egyptian Museum, as pen was put to paper on a deal between the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and engineering firms Hill International and EHAF Consulting Engineers to commence work on stage three of Egypt’s new cultural mecca.

Egyptian culture minister Farouk Hosni looked on as Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA, and Raouf Ghali, board chairman of Hill International, signed the deal. Hosni stated that it will take 26 months to complete the massive building project, in the desert west of Cairo at Giza, just two kilometres from the pyramids.

With 100,000 square metres of floor space and provision for as many as 100,000 artefacts, the $550 million Grand Egyptian Museum will be the biggest cultural project in the world, according to Hosni, who called it a “cultural high dam

As many as 4.8 million tourists are expected to visit every year, to see exhibits such as Howard Carter’s Tutankhamun collection.

Previous estimates had put the opening date for the Grand Egyptian Museum – the foundation stone for which was laid in 2002, ten years after the project was officially announced – sometime in 2013. Egyptians, living in a country where tourism accounts for 11% of GDP, will welcome the slightly accelerated timetable for the visionary structure, which is already being heralded as “Egypt’s fourth pyramid.”

http://heritage-key.com/blogs/malcol...-sign-new-deal

[Montrealers]

Wow, why didn't they build in another city than Cairo? I mean, the capital have too much museum, why they don't build it in another city than the huge one. It could have growed the economy of Egypt.

[egypt69]

The whole point was to have the museum next to the iconic pyramids, the pyramids are located in Cairo. If they were in Alexandria, im sure the museum wouldve been built there instead

[VelesHomais]

Very impressive museum

[City of Rain]

looks incredible..

i was in cairo in february and went to the current museum, it was nice

though i found the city itself extremely gritty and impressive in a rather negative way (im sure you all know what i mean, if youve been to cairo), i really want to go back.. there is something about all that grittyness that attracts me

this museum means i have to go back no matter what.. congrats to cairo!

[whizz_pat]

Thanks mate. We are all looking forward to the new museum.

Does anyone know what will become of the existing museum?

[xAbd0o]

what museum you talking about? you mean Cairo Museum? if so then I don't think they would do anything with it. it will stay as it is another museum in Egypt. I am sure they renovated it recently so I doubt anything special although this museum will be done in 2012 so by them they might have a complete renovation plan for Cairo museum.

[whizz_pat]

Ah that clears things up. But then the Cairo Museum would be left emptier than it is now, with the transfer of antiques to the new museum in Giza?

[xAbd0o]

I don't know. but to what I understand they will keep all the antiques in Cairo museum.

and in the storage room they have huge number of antiques which will be moved to this grand museum.

and I am sure they'd move the important pieces to this museum too.

[xAbd0o]

BTW The GEM's Website is still down, if anyone can see it. anything useful worth seeing?

[xAbd0o]

A Non wining design.











I'm glad this one didn't win too small.

[xAbd0o]

Ah I forgot to post this of the wining design.

[OptomistOne]

Planning a visit to Egypt in 2012. As the local boys (and girls) with on the ground knowledge of timetables and construction delays in your fair city, what are the odds of this fantastic devlelopment being open on time?

Should I delay my trip to 2013 just to be on the safe side?

[Montrealers]

Originally Posted by OptomistOne

Planning a visit to Egypt in 2012. As the local boys (and girls) with on the ground knowledge of timetables and construction delays in your fair city, what are the odds of this fantastic devlelopment being open on time?

Should I delay my trip to 2013 just to be on the safe side?

I don't know what's the rate of the construction, so yeah, it'll be safe if you waited till 2013.

[xAbd0o]

No, Construction work will be open in 2013. it's just that we have a lazy mod to edit the topic title

http://www.zawya.com/marketing.cfm?z...20IN%202013&cc

I so wait for us. until now me and egypt69 (the lazy mod) are going together there for the opening ceremony. unless he changed plans.

[Montrealers]

Originally Posted by xAbd0o

No, Construction work will be open in 2013. it's just that we have a lazy mod to edit the topic title

http://www.zawya.com/marketing.cfm?z...20IN%202013&cc

I so wait for us. until now me and egypt69 (the lazy mod) are going together there for the opening ceremony. unless he changed plans.

Lucky! Don't forget to post pictures

[xAbd0o]

isA, why don't you come and join us It'll be fun a SSC meeting in the opening ceremony