A Highlight of the GEM: Tutankhamun’s Restoration Stela

On November 1, the world celebrated the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which more than fulfills the grandeur of its name. Its soaring atrium features a colossus of Ramesses II, and that pharaoh, who ruled nearly seven decades, would undoubtedly be thrilled to be the king that first greets visitors of the GEM. Now, visitors can ascend the dramatically lit Grand Staircase—with its impressive royal statuary, images of gods and kings embodying gods, shrines, columns, stelae, and sarcophagi—to the Main Galleries and the Tutankhamun Gallery. The design of the Main Galleries is inspiring, with three themes—society, kingship, and religion—placed parallel to one another, giving the visitor the opportunity to view the artworks chronologically across themes or to explore each theme from the Predynastic Period through the Roman Era, and then start again with a new theme. The Tutankhamun Hall displays every artifact from KV62—over five thousand of them!