CAIRO: The Grand Egyptian Museum, built with the help from Japan, has opened the doors of its permanent exhibition to visitors for a trial run, showcasing over 10,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Low-interest yen loans from the Japanese government totaling around 84.2 billion yen were used to build the museum, which is located some 2 kilometers away from the famous Giza pyramid complex near the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has aided in restoring artifacts.

Storing around 100,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, the facility is one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to a single civilization.

After its opening was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened tensions in the Middle East, the museum managed to open its permanent exhibition on a trial basis on Wednesday.

Also at the museum, an exhibition of some 5,000 Tutankhamun artifacts, most notably the ancient pharaoh’s gold burial mask, and a facility featuring the Khufu ship will be open to visitors in the future.

Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Hiroshi Oka welcomed the museum’s trial opening, saying that it was a result of Japanese experts’ steady cooperation with the Egyptian side.

JIJI Press