Wonderful National Museum of Egyptian Civilization NMEC.

What is the history of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization?

The construction of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization was a part of the UNESCO project in Egypt which was establishing new different museums. UNESCO decided to build the Nubia Museum and NMEC at the same time, but with the time the UNESCO gave the priority to establish the Nubia Museum in Aswan in 1994, and the establishing of the NMEC was delayed. 

In 1998, UNESCO  chose Ain Elsira – Fustat to be the place for establishing the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization where it is more harmonious with the museum concept that will display cultures that came on Fustat such as Prehistory, Ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic, Mohamed Ali, and modern history.

The museum was partially opened in 2017 with a temporary exhibition is called (Crafts in Egypt) displaying four crafts (Pottery – Textile – Wood – Jewelry) and presenting their industry and symbol through the history. But the permanent halls do not prepare yet but the museum is planned to be opened at the end of 2020.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is the first museum of its kind in Egypt and the Arab world. It houses large exhibitions in the central square. The museum also includes the Royal Mummies Room (additional ticket), which is the jewel of the museum. It was transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and was received in a majestic procession to discover the ancient Egyptian civilization. There are 1,600 artifacts that the world witnessed on April 3, 2021. This museum includes more than 50,000 artifacts that will link the stages of civilization development from ancient times to the modern era.

Currently, the museum receives the artifacts that are put in conservation labs to be restored for the permanent display.

Location

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is located in Fustat, Egypt’s first capital under Muslim rule. This area of Cairo is home to numerous churches, monasteries, and the Amr Ibn Alas mosque, Egypt’s first mosque. The museum opened in 2017 and houses 50,000 artifacts that depict Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day. The collection is divided into two sections: chronological with archaic, pharaonic, Greco-roman, Coptic, medieval, Islamic, modern, and contemporary. This is a historically significant site that we will visit during our trip to Egypt.

The Royal Mummies

The Egyptians used mummification to preserve their dead, allowing the soul to inhabit the body indefinitely. Mummification techniques evolved over time, but ideal mummification involved the removal of internal organs (lungs, liver,Over a 70-day period, the body was desiccated with natron (a salt and baking soda mixture found in Wadi Natrun), anointed with oils, herbs, and resins, and wrapped in bandages with amulets. Mummies reveal information about the diet, diseases, funerary beliefs, economy, science, and medicine of the ancient Egyptians.

The New Kingdom royal

The New Kingdom royal mummies are amongst the finest mummies ever made. Although most of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings were robbed, many of their mummies survived because priests moved them to a tomb hidden high in the nearby cliffs of Deir el-Bahari in the 10th century BC. Thieves discovered the tomb in the late 19th century AD and started selling objects from it. In 1881, the Antiquities Service found the thieves, rescued the mummies, their coffins, and funeral objects, and brought them to Cairo, where they were displayed and studied. One of the few tombs in the Valley to contain the body of its owner was that of Amenhotep II. Priests hid other royal bodies in his tomb (including Merenptah, Thutmose IV, Seti II, Ramesses IV, V, and VI), together with their grave goods, which are displayed here for the first time as a group.

What is unique in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization?

• It has an archaeological monument inside the museum campus that it is the oldest tanning leather in Egypt. Its importance is that this tanning leather is the only building remained to infer on the tanning leather style in Islamic time. 

• It lookovers on a unique view which is Ain Sirah Lake that is the only remaining lake in Cairo. 

• You will able to see the history of Egypt from prehistory to modern history in one place in addition to the customs of the Egyptian community in those times.

• The museum will display the mummies that are in the Egyptian Museum now in a new concept. 

For an unparalleled day tour in Fustat Explore Egypt Tours recommends this new museum for you allowing seeing several historical eras in one place.

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