PM forms new authority to follow up Grand Egyptian Museum works

Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, has issued a decree on Monday to form a general authority designated to follow up works on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

The new authority will act as a legal identity, under the supervision of Ministry of Antiquities.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), also known as the Giza Museum, is a planned museum of artifacts of ancient Egypt, which will allow the country to become a major worldwide hub for Pharonic history and a must-visit place for Egyptologists.

The GEM will have a Board of Trustees to be formed by the Egyptian prime minister and it will include a number of national and international public figures.

The council will be specialised in drawing up its policies and observing its activities.

The museum will be headed by one director and two deputies, commissioned by the Board of Trustees.

The Grand Egyptian Museum complex is extremely flexible and suitable for permanent and temporary exhibitions set to witness an attendance up to 15,000 visitors per day.

GEM will contain a library, a research centre, restoration laboratories, a museum for children, and one for people with disabilities, a public square with shops, particularly a specialised museum gift shop, cafes and restaurants, and an open air museum and parking facilities.