The Egyptian Museum (aka Museum of Cairo) is the premier antiquities institution of the nation of Egypt and is home to some of the oldest artifacts in the world. At over 100 years old, the museum today is actually a product of some and smaller museums coming together over the years. The collection that the museum consists of upwards of 120,00 separate items, and many of them are on display. As a country such as Egypt has a history that dates back to antiquity, it is understandable that the museum’s exhibitions would largely be of Egyptian artifacts. If you have a passion for mummies, statues, and lots of gold, this museum would be the place for you.
One of the premier items on exhibit at the museum is the enormous statues of Amenhotep III ,his wife Tiye, and their three daughters. Standing at over 21 ft.high and over 12 ft. wide, it is said to be the largest dyad ( pair of statues) ever carved. The statue originally resided at the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III which was located in Thebes, before it was moved in 1897. Though it is one of the largest statues found from ancient times, it is still only about 70 % complete as it had been broken apart over various times in history.
An exhibit that all of the writer’s out there will appreciate is known as the Narmer Palette, and is said to be “the first historical document in the world” . Dating from 31 BC, this palette contains the earliest hieroglyphic writing ever discovered up until this point. This tablet is thought to depict the combining of the Upper and Lower kingdoms of Egypt under the rule of King Narmer. The palette is also believed to be the first depiction of an Egyptian king as well. Despite being older than 5 millennia, this tablet has miraculously survived all this time in almost perfect condition.
Last but certainly not least, everyone needs to see the most famous exhibit at the museum, and one of the most famous archaeological finds in history, which is the golden face mask of King Tutankhamun. Found when his tomb was discovered in 1922, the elaborate face mask contains almost 25 pounds of gold and is almost 2 ft. tall. The detailed death mask contains multiple stones such as obsidian, quartz and turquoise, as well as an iconic headpiece and beard to create the easily recognizable image. After its discovery, this mask essentially became the face of Egyptian history as we know it today.
The History Honey 
I visited this place when I was 7 and literally wanted to become an Egyptologist off the back of the visit. I have traveled around lots of Egypt since and would love to return to Cairo one day!
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Oh wow! that is soooo cool. And I am now totally jealous. This place is definitely somewhere I need to go. What was your favorite thing you saw while there?
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I don’t remember a lot of it of course but I do remember the Amenhotep III statues in the museum. I went to see the Colossi of Memnon – the two massive stone statues of Amenhotep III when I was in Luxor in 2015 and my memories of being 7 in Cairo all came back ♥ I loved the Valley of the Kings too!
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