Egypt on Saturday was inaugurating the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, the world’s largest museum dedicated to an ancient civilization — a megaproject also aimed at boosting the country’s tourism industry and troubled economy.

Two decades in the making, the museum located near the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx showcases over 50,000 artifacts detailing life in ancient Egypt.

It will display the entire collection of treasures from the tomb of the famed King Tutankhamun for the first time since its discovery in 1922.

World leaders, including monarchs, heads of states and governments, were to attend the grand opening ceremony in the Egyptian capital, according to the president’s office, which touted the museum as “an exceptional event in the history of human culture and civilization.”

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi wrote on social media that the museum will bring “together the genius of ancient Egyptians and the creativity of modern Egyptians, enhancing the world culture and art with a new landmark that will attract all those who cherish civilization and knowledge.”

In a press conference held ahead of the opening ceremony, Egypt's Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly described the opening as “a unique and exceptional event."

The museum, known as GEM, is one of several megaprojects championed by el-Sissi since he took office in 2014, embarking on massive investments in infrastructure with the aim of reviving an economy weakened by decades of stagnation and battered by the unrest that followed the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

The museum is expected to attract 5 million visitors annually, said Egyptian businessman Sir Mohamed Mansour, who is a member of GEM’s board of trustees.

That would put it in the ranks of the most popular museums in the world. In 2024, by comparison, Paris’s Louvre brought in 8.7 million, the British Museum 6.5 million and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York 5.7 million.