The Egyptian Museum

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On this day, I spent quite a few hours at the Egyptian Museum on my own. When I approached the museum, I was struck by the mob gathered outside who seemed to be chanting something. At closer inspection, it was revealed that they were all asking if anyone needed a taxi. Contrary to what the guide books stated, I did not have to wait a long time in line for admission although this may vary according to the time of year (I went during the middle of March). There are lines of people waiting to get in, but the lines move fast. Just make sure that you are in the right one, which I didn’t do; this will definitely hinder your progress. If you like Egyptology, then this is the place for you as they have the world's greatest collection of Egyptian archeology amassed in one place; it's really fabulous! It includes the contents of Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb to include his famous, golden mask, which was discovered in 1922. There are approximately 1,700 pieces in this collection alone and doesn’t count the other 118,300 pieces in the museum. Other highlights of great interest are the Royal Mummy Room with 11 mummies to include Rhamses II and the Animal Mummies - you heard it right people; animal mummies. The mummies (people-types) are all of small stature and after thinking about how small those people were back in those days was told that the reason for their small size is because the process of mummification actually shrinks them. As discomforting as this seemed, I consoled myself with the thought that at that point it didn’t make any difference to them. When coming to this museum, it may be advisable to book a tour or bring or purchase a book in the museum’s bookstore as you will probably want more of an explanation that some of the exhibit markers provide (if there are markers at all).

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