CAIRO: The Egyptian Cabinet’s Media Center has denied reports that the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square was demolished after the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The center said that it had contacted the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which denied the news.
The ministry stressed that the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square is one of the most important and famous archaeological buildings in the world and that it cannot be touched.
It is on the list of heritage sites of the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization and the preliminary list of UNESCO, which recognizes the museum’s value as a World Heritage Site.
The ministry said that a project is underway to upgrade the museum’s tourism services.
The museum development process is being supported with a grant from the EU in cooperation with a consortium of five European museums: The British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris, the Egyptian Museum in Turin, the Museum of London Antiquities and the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.
The ministry added that the final procedures are underway for the new presentation for the prehistoric antiquities hall, the ancient state halls, the Greco-Roman and Late Antique Period antiquities halls in the museum.
It said that the experience will be improved through the recent inclusion of archival materials about the archaeological sites in which artifacts were discovered.
This effort is joined by the development of a hall dedicated to displaying the treasures of Tanis.
They will be displayed for the first time inside the hall designated for it to replace the treasures of King Tutankhamun, which will be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum prior to its opening.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is located in the Egyptian governorate of Giza, a short distance from the three pyramids.
After its opening, Egypt aspires to transform the entire space into a tourist area.
The museum has a total area of over 117 feddans and the building itself covers an area of 165,000 sq. meters.
It will display thousands of artifacts, most notably the huge statue of King Ramses II, and a collection of King Tutankhamun’s holdings that will be showcased for the first time.
