Following rumours in the media that rainfall had affected the atrium of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and its statue of Ramses II, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa inspected the site where many tourists are busy taking photos of the Ramses II statue and other statues.
The GEM has been offering limited guided tours of specific areas from March 9 in preparation for the museum opening, for which the date has yet to be announced.
These tours, which can be booked only online, include the gardens, the commercial area with big-name Egyptian brands, restaurants, cafeterias and the gift shop.
GEM officials said that after the rain, the water disappeared in ten minutes thanks to the drainage system. There are pathways to collect rainwater in a tank and reuse it for irrigation.
When ancient Egyptians built their huge statues, they erected them outdoors and at the entrance of the temples, exposing them to different weather conditions without any harm.
From 1955 to 2006, the Ramses stood in what was known as Bab el-Hadid Square in central Cairo, where it was exposed to pollution, rains and wind and yet it was relatively unharmed.
The 11.4-metre red granite statue was erected to commemorate Ramses II in Memphis (Mit Rahina) in 1300 BC.
After an international competition held by the Egyptian government, the GEM was designed by Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects in 2003 to accommodate some of humanity’s most precious artefacts. The design included a team of 300 people from 13 companies in six different countries.
The museum and all its spaces are in the best state of preservation. Its design came in a scientific, methodical, accurate and well-studied manner, which affords visitors an unforgettable experience, winter or summer.
The semi-shaded ceiling of the great lobby is covered with hollow aluminium sheets that create a slight refraction of the sun’s rays and allow the movement of air inside the lobby for ventilation and natural lighting and to save energy consumption. It also reduced the temperature in the summer.
Ramses II statue is not alone in this semi-shaded area. There are a number of statues that date back to different periods, including the Column of King Merneptah (1213-1203 BC), the fourth king of the 19th Dynasty and the son of King Ramses II.
The Column was discovered in 1970 in Merenptah temple in Matariya. Its base is made of limestone and the column is carved in red granite with vignettes of his victories against Libyan tribes.
Minister Issa said that the tourism experience that the GEM will present, whether at the tourist, cultural, archaeological or educational level, will be a distinct and unique experience and an important model to compete with all international museums.
In 2022, the GEM received the Gold Certificate for Green Building and Sustainability in accordance with the Egyptian Green Pyramid System.
The Green Pyramid Certificate is awarded by the Housing and Building National Research Centre in Egypt for buildings that adopt environmentally friendly strategies and achieve sustainable development.
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