King Felipe VI attended the inauguration of the new Grand Egyptian Museum located near the famous pyramids of Giza.
The Royal Family has shared a video on its Instagram profile of the king’s arrival in the country where it is seen how, late this Saturday afternoon, he landed in Cairo accompanied by the second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz. He was received at the Sphinx International Airport in Giza by the Minister of Labor of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mohamed Abdel Aziz Gibran, and the Spanish ambassador to Egypt, Sergio Román, among other Egyptian personalities.
The king then moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum, where he was received by the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to later hold a meeting with the other heads of State and Government invited to the inauguration, and take the official photograph.
The ceremony began with a light and sound show by an orchestra, along with a drone flight showing how the museum’s design is connected to the pyramids. Finally, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt spoke.
After the first part of the inauguration, His Majesty the King together with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and other heads of State and Government toured the Museum, passing through the main lobby, the staircase and the Tutankhamun room.
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattá al Sisi, had conveyed his invitation to the monarch for such a great event, which has had to be postponed on several occasions due to the regional context, during the state visit he made to Spain last February to both the Kings and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
Then, the king highlighted that the Great Egyptian Museum will be “the largest archaeological museum in the world” and assured that for Spain it is “an honor to have participated in the construction of this tangible testimony of the invaluable Egyptian cultural heritage.”
Felipe VI has returned to Egypt less than two months after the state visit he carried out at the beginning of September with Queen Letizia. Then, both had the opportunity to visit the pyramids of Giza as well as the Valley of the Kings.
Although the first stone of the new museum was laid in February 2002, the actual construction by the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architectsa did not begin until 2006. The outbreak of the Arab Spring, which in Egypt led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s regime, paralyzed the work, which was resumed in 2014.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will become the largest archaeological museum complex when it opens its doors to the public next Tuesday, November 4, with more than 100,000 pieces from both Ancient Egypt and the Greek and Roman presence in the country. In addition, for the first time Tutankhamun’s complete treasure will be shown to the public.