The opening of the grand egyptian museum in cairo on november 1 drew unprecedented attendance from world leaders, reflecting global fascination with ancient egyptian civilization. President abdel fattah al-sisi led a tour for the leaders after the official ceremony. Prime minister mostafa madbouly praised the cultural partnership between egypt and japan in building the museum.
The grand egyptian museum (GEM) opening ceremony took place in cairo on saturday evening, november 1, with 78 official delegations attending, including 39 led by kings, princes, and heads of state and government. President abdel fattah al-sisi, accompanied by first lady entissar al-sisi, led the leaders on a tour after the event, showcasing the "grand staircase" and the tutankhamun galleries, where the complete collection of over 5,000 artifacts from the young king's tomb is displayed together for the first time.
Diplomats noted that this high-level attendance reflects the international community's appreciation of egypt's role in peace, stability, and development, affirming the success of president sisi's diplomacy. Former assistant foreign minister gamal bayoumi said sisi invited leaders to the sharm el-sheikh peace summit last month, and once again succeeded in gathering world leaders in cairo for this cultural event. Rakha ahmed hassan, another former assistant minister, added that the participation testifies to egypt's global position and the world's fascination with ancient egyptian civilization as the "mother of all civilizations."
In a meeting with japan international cooperation agency (JICA) president akihiko tanaka, who visited egypt for the opening, prime minister mostafa madbouly stated that the GEM symbolizes the cultural partnership between egypt and japan since 1954 and a source of pride for egyptians. He thanked japan and JICA for support in building the museum and preserving heritage, citing joint projects like the cairo metro, egypt-japan university of science and technology, cairo opera house, and children's hospital at cairo university. Tanaka expressed pleasure in attending and anticipated new cooperation in civil aviation and airport development amid expected tourism growth. Madbouly affirmed expanding ties in education and research for arab and african countries. Planning minister rania mashat said JICA's support funded major projects improving services and living standards.