Museums of Cairo and Giza

The Egyptian Museum

Located at AI-Tahrir square in the heart of Cairo. It is the largest of Egyptian antiquities museums all over the world. It allows the visitor to become acquainted with the antiquities of Egypt’s Pharaonic periods It houses around 250,000 antique pieces covering the whole history of ancient Egypt, which extends over the past five thousand years The exhibits of this museum are famous for their historical and artistic value. The most famous and exciting in this museum is the magnificent collection of” Tut Ankh Amoun “. There also stands a statue of Akhenaton, the father of monotheism and another of Nefertiti, his wife.

The Solar Boat Museum

Located next to the Pyramid of Cheops, this small museum contains his 4500 year old funeral baroque. It is Extremely well preserved

The Imhotep Museum

Located in Sakkara next near the entrance. It is dedicated only to the many discoveries from this area. The museum consists of five halls:

1) Theater and model of the funerary complex.

2) Main Hall including the architectural elements.

3) New Discoveries.

4) Model Tomb Hall.

5) Library of Jean-Philippe Lauer.

The Coptic Museum

Islamic Art Museum

Located in Bab AI-Khalq square in the Egyptian library. It is considered the largest museum in the Middle East. It houses 102000 pieces of ancient Islamic artifacts representing the different eras since the dawn of Islam till the end of the Ottoman Period and showing the variety of Persian, Mameluk and Turkish art styles which give a clear idea of the development of Islamic art. It also contains two new halls for textile, rare golden and silver coins and Royal medals. The museum is also provided with a ‘library, which contains all that was written about the history of rare Koreans, including the largest Koran in Kufi.

Al Jawhara Palace Museum

Built by Mohammed Ali in 1814 AD for his harem and the scene of the execution of the Mameluk. Its walls are ornamented with Ottoman engravings. Of its most beautiful halls is the clock hall. This palace houses Oriental and French furniture, the throne, Turkish paintings, clocks, glass, and 19th century clothes.

The Military Museum

Located in the Citadel near Al-Jawhara Palace. It boasts a splendid collection of antiquities, dummies, statues, monuments, arms, old-fashioned military uniforms and three-dimensional models that exhibit Egypt’s military glories throughout ages. Military Museum begun in 1937, after that, it moved to the Citadel in 1947. The museum exhibits include military equipment, clothing and items from Pharaonic Islamic and Modern Egypt. Included are 220 oil paintings of military battles, historical events and political personalities 750 antique weapons, 145 uniforms, 250 statues, including scenes of the inauguration of the Suez Canal and the military chariot of Tout Ankh Amoun and a carriage pf the Khedive Ismail.

Visiting hours: from 9 am, to 1 p.m. except Fridays from 9.30 am, till 11.30 am.

For information, phone:25129619.

Gayer Anderson Museum

4 Ahmed lbn Tulun Square. Located between the two outer walls of the mosque of lbn Tulun this museum is two houses of the sixteen and seventeen centuries reflecting the early Ottoman styles of architecture. Restored and refurnished by Gayer-Anderson, a British army officer who made his home in Egypt, the museum includes his monuments.

Visiting hours: from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. daily, closed Fridays.

Al Manial Palace House

Established in 1899 AD, and located in Al­ Manial area overlooking the Nile. It was the private residence of Prince Mohamed Au Tawfik. A blend of Persian, Moroccan and Turkish architectural styles. It houses a unique collection of royal jewelry, precious ornaments, and suits belonging to the Mohammed Ali Family, splendid carpets, manuscripts and ceramics. It also contains the sun hall, which is an architectural masterpiece. On the right there is the Salamlek, a reception building with a series of large rooms. In the garden there is the hunting museum.

Center for Refining Ancient Egyptian Art

It lays 3 Adel Abu Bakr St, Zamalek. This center, which is involved in the restoration of ancient artifacts, houses an exhibition hall of Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic artifacts. It also has a library and bookstore.

Visiting hours: from 9 am. till 2 p.m. closed in Fridays, and the admission is free.

For more information Tel.:7357045

The Agricultural Museum

It lies in Dokki suburb next to the Ministry of Agriculture, off 6th October Bridge. It is founded in 1938. The museum is the oldest existing agricultural museum in the world. It exhibits aspects of life in the Egyptian countryside and contains models showing the development of agriculture methods from the plough and the primitive shadof till the modem projects which accompanied the High Dam. The first building is the Museum of Ancient Egyptians Agriculture with 15 halls featuring agricultural implements, products and agricultural methods used in the Pharaonic Age. The second building is the Cotton Museum, which outlines the history of cotton from its production to Egypt during the reign of Mohamed Ali. This is besides another two buildings.

Visiting hours: from 9 am. to 4 p.m. closed on official holidays.

Mostafa Kamel Museum

Located in the Citadel Square. It exhibits the relics of the young Egyptian leader Mustafa Kamel and highlights the role of the great leader in the Egyptian national movement.

Visiting hours: from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

For more information: Tel: 25109943.

Wax Museum

The wax museum lies in Helwan Suburb near the mineral springs of Helwan and you can reach it by the underground, Am Helwan Station. This museum is very small and comprises a collection u of splendid statues of wax representing many historic events. Sightseeing tours are no longer ,

confined to daytime as tourists, nowadays, can make their visits at night and enjoy seeing the ancient monuments with a sound & light display of these monuments history, which stirs the imagination of the spectators and renders their visit a memorable experience.

Visiting hours: from 9 am, to 4 p.m. except Fridays from 9.30 am, till 11.30 am. and 1.30 p.m. until 4 p.m.

For information, phone:23901520.

Hygiene & Medicine Museum

It lays in Sakakini Street. Originally established in 1927 by King Fouad under the guidance of the Dresden Museum of Hygiene, this museum contains displays of human anatomy, physiology and pathology, Today it is housed in the ‘elaborate rococo Sakakini Palace built in ,1898 and once belonging to Henri Sakakini, The building alone is worth a visit.

Visiting hours: from 9 am, to 2 p.m. except Fridays closed

Ethnological Museum

Located on Kasr El Aini Street south of American University in the Geographic Society building, this tiny museum is a little known I treasure. It contains jewelry, water pipes, weapons, clothing, furniture, household items, a magnificent mashrabiya sedan and a howdah that was used to carry the cover for the Kaabla to Mecca. In another room there is a mechanical display of the Suez Canal with  three dimensional displays of the ports.

The Egyptian Civilization Museum

Located in Gezirah exhibition area. It shows the development of Egyptian life and civilization through centuries.

For more information: Tel:2766667

Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum

For more information, Tel: 33362376

Police Museum

It lies at the Citadel. Recently restored, this museum covers a large portion of the Citadel grounds and includes a prison, with towers, dungeons and mannequins of the Islamic era; a hall of historic fire engines, featuring a fire engine from 1776 and another from 1885. It also contains a garden museum, with cannons, one of which is fired each sunset during Ramadan to announce Iftar; and the main museum. The main museum displays police equipment from the Pharaonic era to the present including manuscripts and illustrations of political assassinations and famous crimes; a collection of counterfeit coins; police weapons including rare swords, daggers, pistols, axes, and equipment for punishment; uniforms, mainly from the Islamic era; and vehicles. There is a guidebook in English and Arabic with a history of police and prisons in Egypt.

Museum of Abdeen Palace

One of the most famous palaces built in the reign of Mohamed Ali dynasty by the order of Khedive Ismail in 1863 and assigned as government residence as from 1872 until 1952. It has many entrances. King Fouad added to it a museum for the monarchal belongings especially the arms and swords offered to him. In 1936, King Farouk ordered that another special hall be set up for his personal belongings, a library and a swimming pool. In 1998, another hall was added for the presents offered to President Hosni Mubarak. The museum combines several halls containing arms with diamonds and made of gold, jewelry, crystals and precious things. In the middle of its halls there are a fountain surrounded by antique guns.

Mukhtar Museum

It is located in a corner of Al-Horriya garden in Gezira near Al-Tahrir Square, entrance before the Galaa Bridge. The museum contains a wide collection of the wonderful works of Mahmoud Mukhtar, Egypt’s Great Sculptor. He is considered the founder of the Egyptian modern art movement, his works and the famous 20th , century Egyptian sculptor, are on display in this museum that built especially to house the collection. There are over 100 statues in bronze, marble and stone as well as memorabilia I corrected with the artist’s life. The visitor can re cognize through the exhibits of the museum features of the contemporary Egyptian sculpture. Additionally, his works include the statue of Saad Zaghloul in the square of that name at the Gezira end of the Kasr El Nil Bridge, and the famous statue Renaissance of Egypt on Giza St., at the end of Cairo University Bridge.

The Nation House

It s called Beit El Omma Museum and is located in Saad Zaghloul Street off Al-Qasr Al ­Aini Street, near Al-Tahrir Square and contains the relics of the great leader Saad Zaghloul, I the hero of the 1919 Revolution.

Visiting hours: from 9 am. till 3p.m.

For more information: Tel: 27945399.

Modern Art Museum

Formerly located in Dokki, this museum has been incorporated into the Cairo Opera House complex. The collection consists of 13,000 modern art pieces, primarily paintings, sculptures and graphics done by Egyptian artists since 1908.

Airport Museum

Located in the Cairo International Airport.

Open 24 hours. For more information Tel.22914277

The Royal Carriage Museum

There are 78 royal carriages representing 22 different types of vehicles. Most were presented to the rulers of Egypt as gifts. One of the most impressive is a Berlin given to the Khedive lsmail by Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie in celebration of the opening Ii of the Suez Canal. There are 7 displays and 20 cupboards on the second floor containing metals, saddles, uniforms, livery, trappings and oil paintings. There is also a rare collection of ‘engineering drawings illustrating the construction of the carriages. Excellent catalog in Arabic with details on types and uses of carriages, descriptions of livery and trappings.

Visiting hours: from 9a.m. till 3:30 p.m. Daily

The Geological Museum

It is located at the beginning of the Corniche going toward Maadi with entrance of Athar Al Nabi, Old Cairo, Recently moved from its home on Street Sheikh Rihan to this temporary location, the museum is part of the Geological Survey of Egypt. Specimens on display include vertebrates, like the Fayoum I Animal from the Eocene Period; invertebrates; rocks and minerals, including moon rocks, meteorites, including moon rocks, meteorites and gemstones; fossil skeletons, building stones and old Stone Age implements.

Visiting hours: from 9a.m. till 2p.m., closed Fridays, and the admission is free.

Natural History Museum

Located in Zoo Street, Giza. This small I museum contains an excellent display of birds, reptiles and mammals from all over the world.

The Folklore Museum

It lies in 18, Bursa al Adima St., Tawfikia, fourth floor. The center, located off Street I Ramsis near Gumhuria newspaper, has a one room exhibition of dresses from the Oases and Nile valley and some jewelry, basketry and implements.

Visiting hours: from 10 am. till 1 p.m., closed

Fridays, and the admission is free.

El Ghezira Museum   

It lies in the Agricultural Society pavilion in Ghezira Exhibition Grounds, entrance on Street Tahrir at the Galaa Bridge. The museum houses a collection of rare paintings, sculptures and art objects including Islamic antiquities and Coptic tapestries that once belonged to the ex-royal family. The collection includes rare Bohemian crystal glassware and ancient glass; metalwork from the Islamic period; pottery from Persia, Greece, Egypt and Asia Minor; Persian carpets; and paintings and sculpture from the French, English. Italian and Flemish schools of art. The collection includes works by Rubens, Renoir, Rodin and others.

Nagi Museum

It combines the most important works of Nagi’s oil, water color and pastel paintings. The museum boasts 552 paintings.

For more information: Tel: 3362376

The Mail Museum

Located within the main railway station. On visiting the museum, one gets acquainted with the methods of sending and receiving mail used since the time of the homing pigeons.

The Railway museum

Located at the eastern end of the main station at Square Ramsis, this museum contains early steam engines, railway coaches of trains and stations throughout Egypt.

The Center of Art & life

Located in the Salamlek of the Menesterly Palace, 2, Malek al Saleh St., Roda Island. This palace, built in 1851, contains a cultural center with artisans working in textiles, pottery, the khedives Ismail’s private train, and models and glass from all periods of Egyptian history.