On Saturday, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) received 2,000 artifacts from the Egyptian Museum, located in Cairo, in addition to the storage galleries of Tal El-Yahoudeya and Giza Plateau to be exhibited at the under-construction museum.
On his part, Major General Atef Moftah, General Supervisor of the GEM project and the surrounding area, said the artifacts were transferred amid tight security measures by the Tourism and Antiquities Police, adding that the GEM has received a total of 54,000 objects, so far.
Moftah said that the newly transferred artifacts include two red granite columns of King Ramses II, each weighing 13 tons and measuring 6 meters high. The columns will be on display at the GEM's Grand Staircase.
Meanwhile, Dr. Al-Tayeb Abbas, Director-General of Archaeological Affairs at the GEM, said that among the transferred objects are a group of 54 artifacts from the treasures of King Tutankhamun, including a set of gold jewelry and necklaces, as well as a gilded wooden statue depicting the young king, with a stick in one hand and a flail in the other, standing on the back of a leopard, wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, and on his forehead the sacred uraeus and a wide beaded necklace that covers his chest and shoulders.
Abbas added that a distinguished collection from different eras, from the Old to the New Kingdom, was among the transported objects, noting that the most important of these is a double statue of the writer of Atun Temple in Tal El-Amarna, the so-called Mery-Re, who later changed his name to Mery-Atun.
Abbas pointed out that statue was found by the Dutch-British archaeological mission several years ago at Saqqara Necropolis. The double statue is characterized by high artistic technique in terms of features, clothes and excellent details of wigs, bras, and pleated clothes.
He stated that the GEM received pottery vessels, silver coins and a group of metal statues from Tel El-Yahoudeya.
On his part, Eissa Zidan, Director-General of the Executive Affairs for the Restoration and Transportation of Antiquities at the GEM, affirmed the museum will open in 2021. He added that 47 wooden pieces were transferred from Khufu's second solar boat at the Pyramid, bringing the total number of wooden pieces transferred to the GEM from the boat to 1,053.
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