An exhibition showcasing 250 ancient Egyptian artefacts closed in Hong Kong after attracting more than 600,000 visitors during its nine-month run, Egypt’s tourism and antiquities ministry said Saturday.
“Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” was held at the Hong Kong Palace Museum from November 18, 2025, to August 31, 2026. The artefacts are now being returned to Egypt, the ministry said.
The exhibition offered visitors a journey through the history of ancient Egyptian civilisation, with objects drawn from eight Egyptian museums and archaeological sites.
Among the highlights were wooden artefacts and stone statues discovered at Saqqara, a quartzite statue of King Tutankhamun weighing around 2.7 tonnes from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a granite statue of King Merneptah from Luxor and a gilded mummy mask from the Hurghada Museum.
The display also included papyri, royal gold objects and models of ancient Egyptian bread, illustrating aspects of daily life and religious beliefs.
Hisham El-Leithy, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the exhibition demonstrated the ability of cultural heritage to build bridges between peoples and promote mutual understanding.
He thanked museum curators, conservators, archaeologists, transport and logistics teams in Egypt and Hong Kong, as well as staff at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, for their co-operation in organising the exhibition.
The collection included objects from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Matrouh National Museum, Kafr El-Sheikh Museum, the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art and the National Museum of Sohag, as well as recently discovered pieces from Saqqara.
Some of the artefacts had previously been displayed at the “On the Top of the Pyramid: the Civilisation of Ancient Egypt” exhibition at the Shanghai Museum in China.
