The idea of establishing the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization began when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at the request of the Egyptian government, announced an international campaign to establish the Nubia Museum in Aswan and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo. This culminated in the signing of an agreement in January 1983 between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the organization to establish both museums. In May 1985, the project of engineer Dr. El-Ghazali Koshiba won the best architectural design for the museum building, and the cornerstone was laid in 2002 in the heart of Fustat, the oldest Islamic capital in Africa.
Decision No. 2796 of 2016 was issued by the Prime Minister to establish and organize the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Later, Law No. 10 of 2020 was issued to regulate the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Authority as a public economic body with a board of trustees chaired by the President of the Republic. The board is responsible for approving the general policies and necessary plans for the authority and supporting and monitoring its activities. The museum is managed by a board of management chaired by the Minister responsible for antiquities affairs and including the CEO of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Authority, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum Authority, the CEO of the Egyptian General Authority for Tourism Promotion, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Bank, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Investment Bank, the Executive Director of the Egyptian Sovereign Fund, the Chairman of the Egyptian Federation of Tourist Chambers, and the legal advisor to the Minister, in addition to a number of specialized experts in the fields of antiquities, economics, international law, management, and marketing.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is the first museum of its kind in Egypt and the Arab world, as it is a comprehensive global cultural complex that allows visitors to embark on a journey through history to discover the successive Egyptian civilizations through 1600 carefully selected artifacts displayed in its central hall to highlight Egypt’s material and immaterial heritage. The hall is equipped with digital display screens to enhance the public’s interaction with the exhibits and provide as much information as possible about the displayed artifacts. The museum also includes the Royal Mummies Hall, which is considered the jewel of the museum and was transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in a magnificent procession witnessed by the whole world on April 3, 2021, in the presence of the President of the Republic on the occasion of the museum’s opening. In April 2022, the Egyptian Textile Hall was opened at the museum, which included a diverse collection of 650 distinguished archaeological pieces, including 250 pieces transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, the Islamic Art Museum, Prince Mohamed Ali Palace in Menial, the Agricultural Museum in Dokki, and the stores of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, while the rest of the pieces were displayed at the Textile Museum on Al-Muizz Street. These pieces tell the story of the evolution of clothing throughout different eras and everything related to textile industry, starting from prehistoric times in ancient Egypt, passing through the Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic eras, and ending with the modern and contemporary era.
The museum also includes special places for cultural activities and events, such as a meeting hall, lecture hall, cinema, theater, Roman theater, classrooms for children’s museum education, as well as a hall for receiving VIP visitors, restoration and laboratory centers, library, advanced printing press, gift shop, area for receiving antiquities, bus and car parking, and many commercial areas, including shops, cafes, and restaurants, some of which overlook the “Ain Al-Hayat” Lake. The museum will soon host the School of Egyptian Civilization, which aims to increase the tourism and archaeological awareness among citizens, as well as introduce foreign residents to ancient Egyptian civilization. The museum enhances interaction with its visitors and informs them of all the latest news, events, cultural and scientific activities, workshops, and quarterly newsletter through its official website on the Internet, its special pages on various social media platforms, or the electronic application named “NMEC,” which is available for download on both Google Play and App Store platforms.