Just two weeks after opening, I’m stepping foot inside the biggest museum on the planet dedicated to a single civilisation: The Grand Egyptian Museum (or simply, the GEM).

Taking over two decades to build and costing over $1 billion (more than double its initial price tag), I had to find out: was it all worth it?

Before you’ve even reached the entrance, you (or, ideally, your taxi driver) will have battled Cairo ’s racing traffic in the hope of finding a way in.

There may be several entrances and car parks, but the order of accessing the place is borderline unhinged.

As you approach the entrance, the stress mercifully dissipates.

You look up and are immediately dwarfed by the state-of-the-art behemoth ahead.

Sprawling across the equivalent of 70 football pitches, the GEM houses 100

See Full Page