It's an incredible museum, probably the most amazing museum I've visited. There is so much to see, and it's going to take many many trips before I feel like I've seen it properly. It's incredible what's in there - a gold mine for egyptology enthusiasts. The tombs contained everything the Upper and Lower Egyptian Kings needed for the afterlife - food and seeds, jewellery, statues of their servants, bows and arrows...the list goes on. It gives you a wonderful insight into how sophisticated the Ancient Egyptians were. All the artefacts are real, bar one, including the statues in the museum gardens.
It did, however, make me a little concerned to see all these amazing artefacts haphazardly placed around the museum, with few controls around lighting, humidity or temperature, exposed to the pollution and dust of Cairo. The only room that is temperature controlled is that containing the mummies.
The Tutankamen exhibition was the highlight. I'd seen it a few years back when it came to Melbourne, and I remember feeling disappointed that the gold mask of Tutankamen wasn't included in the exhibition. I saw it yesterday and it really is breath-taking. I'm told it now never leaves Egypt. What was even more remarkable was that I had an uninterrupted view of it. There were certainly tourists there yesterday, conspicuous in short denim shorts (my Cairo sense of appropriateness is becoming well honed), but not many. Now is the time to visit for light crowds.
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