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The golden mask of Tutankhamun, chariots and mummies, are the most spectacular objects in the museum. However, you cannot miss the small, unique artifacts, including: inlaid bracelets, earrings and royal underwear. This is a cultural tour that will be part of our 10 day trip to Egypt.
150,000 exhibits - few museums in the world can boast this amount of ancient artifacts, and the exhibits are only a small part of the museum's collection. The rest are kept in underground warehouses. Right before the entrance to the museum, on the left side, in the garden, there is a stone sarcophagus where the founder of the museum, August Mariette (1821-1881) is buried. The French archaeologist was the first head of the Egyptian Ancient Service, which prevented the removal of some artifacts to European countries.
On the ground floor of the museum, the exhibits are displayed chronologically. The first room contains relics from the early Egyptian period, the most important of which is the Narmer Palette. It shows the image of the first unified ruler of Egypt. Pharaoh Narmer (3rd millennium BC) has a club in one hand, and a prisoner of war in the other, held by the hair. Troops with banners march around the ruler, and the massacred bodies of enemies lie in rows.
The next rooms are devoted to monuments from the Old Kingdom (XXVIII - XXII centuries BC). The most noteworthy is the statue of the seated pharaoh Djoser and the wooden figure of the Lector Priest Ka-aper. They fully reflect the beauty of the Egyptian sculptural art with the statues of the spouses Rahotep and Nofret.
We can also see a fresco from over 4,000 years ago, the famous "Geese from Medum". The artist presented these birds with great attention to the detail and colors.
In the gallery of the Middle Kingdom (XXII-XVIII century BC) your eye is attracted by the statue of Montuhotep II (Nebhepetre). The ruler's body is painted black, which indicates the relationship of the pharaoh with Osiris and refers to the fertile Egyptian farmland. The sculpture of the legendary Hatshepsut is one of the most original monuments from the New Kingdom. The ruler is shown as a sphinx-lion with a human head.
The hall is very interesting, and it exhibits relics from the times of Akhenaten (14th century BC) - the revolutionary pharaoh who introduced changes in Egyptian religion, art, architecture and language. From the examples of the artifacts collected here, you can learn about the features of the Amaran style. The pearl of the exhibition is the quartz head of Nefertiti. It was probably the model for the actual sculpture that can be seen today in the Neues Museum, Berlin.
The main attraction of the museum are the treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun, which are displayed on the first floor in 12 rooms. It's worth taking a look at the stunning death mask of the pharaoh. It is made of gold and lapis lazuli in a shade of dark navy blue with golden veining and other semi-precious stones such as blue turquoise, red-orange carnelian, brown obsidian, as well as glass paste.
Make sure you get to visit this amazing museum with us at Inside Egypt. You’ll not regret it! Book your Egypt tour package!
