Egyptian Museum opens closets

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo will display some of its finest treasures for the first time in celebration of its centennial, beginning Monday.

King Tutankhamen is expected to steal the show. The yearlong “Hidden Treasures” exhibit will include funerary boats and golden items from the young pharaoh’s tomb.

A black granite statue of the goddess Isis, a gold dish and a golden earring discovered in underwater excavations in Alexandria will reflect the Greco-Roman period in Egypt’s history. The mummies of two children and golden amulets from the tomb of a governor in the desert oasis of Bahariya will highlight what became known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies.

Coming up with the treasures was no problem because antiquities cram not only the museum but also its basement.

“We wanted to put up a unique exhibit,” said museum director Mamdouh El-Damati. So the staff headed to the basement and cleared out seven adjacent rooms where, after a major overhaul, about 250 objects will be displayed.

To prepare the rooms for the exhibit, two entrances were carved in the western side of the museum building, leading directly into the basement. A state-of-the-art lighting system and high-security display windows have been installed. And let’s not forget air-conditioning. There are none of these luxuries in the main building. In summer tourists sometimes faint because of the heat.

The building, opened in 1902, was designed in the grandest neoclassical tradition, with high ceilings, domes, decorated columns and an immense central atrium.

But 100 years and about 5,000 visitors a day have not been kind to the place. The only significant renovation was in the mummies’ room in 1994 and the Tutankhamen exhibit in 1997.

Most of the wooden display cabinets have lost their typewritten cardboard labels, adding to the mystery of exploring the museum without so much as a visitor’s guide. As part of the centennial, the museum will offer portable digital guides with audio and images.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The adult entrance fee is about $4. For information, visit www.museumsector.gov.eg or www.emuseum.gov.eg.