Grand Egyptian Museum Receives New Collection of 614 Artifacts

By: Ali Abu Dashish:

Title: Grand Egyptian Museum Receives New Collection of 614 artifacts

CAIRO, Oct. 5 (SEE)-The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) at Al-Remaya Square received a new collection of 614 artifacts that has been transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in preparation for its opening in 2020.

Osama Abu El-Khair, General Director of the Conservation Department in GEM explained that the collection contains eleven objects from King Tutankhamun treasures and others items from the Old Kingdom to the late period. The collection includes Osirian statuettes and limestone statues of the fifth dynasty top official in the royal palace, Senefer and a 26th dynasty relief bearing the image of a Sphinx.

Abu El-Khair added that the masterpieces of the transferred collection include the Diadem of King Tutankhamon as well as a wooden box of King Amenhotep II covered with a layer of a white mortar and engraved with the king's Cartouche and a Heratik text.

The general director pointed out that after the arrival of the artifacts was immediately stored inside the GEM’s Conservation Center according to their materials. The team was keen to use latest scientific methods during the process of packing and unpacking of the artifacts, in addition to preparing a detailed report on the conservation condition for every transported items before starting the first aid restoration.

Eissa Zaidan, Head of the First Aid Restoration Department at the GEM said that the transportation of the Diadem was a real challenge to the restoration team as it is in a very poor conservation condition and its plant leaves were very dried.

The team used all the required scientific methods to protect the Diadem and covered it with special kind of antibacterial and anti-acidic foam. They also took all the required procedures to protect other objects taking into consideration the materials and the nature of every object.