Grand Egyptian Museum

Giza, Egypt

Heneghan Peng

By the time the much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum is completed later this year, not only will it be the largest archaeological museum in the world but it will have taken almost as long to build as the Great Pyramid of Giza which it is meant to celebrate.

But in all probability this merely increases the anticipation for what it likely to be the world’s most eagerly awaited cultural opening of the year. When the foundation stone was first laid in 2002 it was intended that the venue would open in 2013. But a catastrophically disruptive cycle of recession and revolution over the subsequent decades meant that the project was successively delayed. Opening dates were mooted in 2017, 2018 and 2019 but, with the structure now fully complete, this year looks set to be the one when the £750m mega-project is finally unveiled.

…