The Grand Egyptian Museum's Astonishing Arrival | Hacker News Reader

The Grand Egyptian Museum's Astonishing Arrival

wsj.com

39 pointsbookofjoe13 comments

If you're German-speaking or can AI-translate the audio or subtitle tracks, I remember enjoying this 2021 documentary about the design process and project culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrI1X1qAfws

It follows employees of the German design firm Atelier Brückner, one of the major contractors, interacting with Egyptian counterparts, etc.

There's many other docs waiting in the wings now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOQsO7Hu-wY

The GEM's super impressive, but a part of me also misses the charme and flair of the old Cairo Museum building, which had essentially become an artifact unto itself that somehow recalled that whole Howard Carter vibe we all subconsciously associate with Egyptology.

The very modern, flatly-lid, matter-of-fact galleries of the GEM I'm sure are SOTA museum work, but rather sterile. Still, I suppose the neutral looks have their virtue.

When you go to some largish western art history museum, even not the super major ones, it’s always startling how big the egyptology section is. The amount of artifacts in the egyptian museum must be mindboggling.

Imagine if most of the tombs hadn't been melted down over the centuries.

And the mummies hadn't been eaten. Tutankhamens tomb was exceptional that it was a rush job and hence easily hidden. For all we know there were loads of much grander tombs.

It's been open for a while (not officially), I visited in February. It's huge and has a ton of different displays and amazing artifacts. Considering ancient Egyptian culture has been around for thousands of years, they put our current civilization to shame.

One thing that's not mentioned is that this museum is a legacy making project of the Sisi administration, just like how the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was Mubarak's [0].

It shouldn't distract from the museum itself (it's actually really good), but it's interesting context to see how culture, history, and politics continue to overlap. It is also hard to overstate how much of Sisi's decisions are themselves around trying to define his own legacy in history in a manner that Mubarak, Sadat, and other strongmen in Egypt have tried.

[0] - https://www.snohetta.com/projects/bibliotheca-alexandrina

Instead of giant pyramids, it’s giant museums these days

They won’t last as long though. I bet the museum is gone before the pyramids.

Well, the project was technically started by Mubarak, it's been 30 years in the making. Sisi undoubtedly helped, but he also helped a bunch of digs and other activities; he just sees (like Mubarak before him) Egypt's historical wealth as a way to stimulate tourism and project prestige abroad.

I saw Sissi on the billboards of everywhere. I was visiting the tombs and temples and monuments of ancient Egypt. Eventually I could not tell the difference between Sissi and Ramses II.

There is an old legend about a guy who saw a dream after falling asleep under the sphinx. The sphinx said to excavate and uncover the magnificence of the sphinx if he wants to become king. He did. He became king. He told everyone his dream. And the practice continues to this day: uncover ancient Egypt so that you may be the king.

Morsi did not do this.

Morsi did not have much time to do anything in all frankness - Sisi has now been there for 10+ years

I was there 2 years ago and was told it would open in a month. I seriously considered staying longer for a few weeks for the opening. I guess I am glad I didn’t.

no paywall: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/the-grand-egyptian...

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