![king tut papyrus artwork king tut papyrus artwork](https://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server4500/2cc2a/products/172/images/133/PP001__85661.1323416796.220.220.jpg)
All 5,000 items that were found inside the young king's tomb, first discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter, will be on view. The main attraction at the GEM will be the first-time display of the complete Tutankhamun collection. how this relationship into their beliefs concerning the afterlife,” Tawfik explains, a key insight since "most of the objects that we have from ancient Egypt are either from a funerary complex or from temples.” “ feeling why they were made, and getting to understand how ancient Egyptians thought, and their relationship to their kings. And here, he reiterates that the museum will be about far more than simply looking at artifacts. Indeed, Tawfik says the GEM will have an incredible 50,000 unique objects on display-30,000 of which have never been shown to the public. This is a whole new aspect that will give this museum another taste.” "It will also give a lot of background to the visitor. “The identity of this museum is the state, kingship and eternity of ancient Egypt,” says Tawfik, who adds that the collection will do much more than simply display masterpieces of art. Tarek Sayed Tawfik explained, he and his team have a vision for the new facility that's just as impressive as its name suggests. Our visit is courtesy of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt ( AmCham Egypt), sponsoring an international media delegation including as part of an effort to bolster tourism. “The previous restoration and conservation were not the latest technique, so he is applying the new method and trying to fix it.”īlending the old with the new, in such a way, is central to the mission of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is currently under construction just 2 kilometers from the Great Pyramids of Giza, where the desert meets the floodplain. “He is trying some mechanical ways to clean these pieces,” explains Mostafa, assistant to the general director of the museum. Islam Mostafa points to the expert working on the piece of papyrus. Nearby, another painstakingly pieces together a set of sandals-nearly ruined, but believed to have been worn by King Tutankhamun-that now resemble something of a jigsaw puzzle, pieces of black material scattered within the golden filigree that binds each shoe together. In the conservation center for the Grand Egyptian Museum, a man hunches over an ancient piece of papyrus, patiently cleaning each fiber in an attempt to restore it to some semblance of its former glory.