New museum expected to boost interest in the country
IAN STALKER
It’s been over a century since British archeologist Howard Carter uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun but one of the tour operators sending people to Egypt says interest in the young Pharaoh hasn’t been dimmed by time.
Indeed, Sally Mikhail says interest in King Tut, as the former ruler is frequently called, and the others who ruled Egypt thousands of years ago remains strong and is underscored by the Egyptian government’s decision to build another Cairo-area museum to showcase Tutankhamun’s famed artifacts and other reminders of Ancient Egypt.
The 1922 discovery of Tut’s tomb was arguably the most dramatic archeological find ever, with over 5,000 items removed from his Luxor burial site, including his famed gold face mask
“Travellers to Egypt show great interest to include the GEM (Grand Egyptian Museum),” says Sally Mikhail of GMTours.
The leading-edge facility — to be fully open later this year and found near the Sphinx and the Pyramids — is seen as an incentive to prompt those who have already visited Egypt to return, wih Mikhail labelling it “the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization.”
Mikhail notes Grand Egyptian Museum visitors can see artifacts from King Tut’s tomb and “tens of thousands of other rare” archaeological items from long ago, with Mikhail praising the “exceptional” displays.
Egyptian archeological sites tend to be associated with the Cairo area and points south — such as Luxor and Abu Simbel — but Mikhail adds that the Mediterranean-fronting city of Alexandria — founded by Alexander the Great, who had strong ties to Egypt — was long ago home to the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the famed Great Library of Alexandria, among other things.
Mikhail says Alexandria rivalled ancient Athens as “the most “vital cultural centre of the ancient world.” Alexandria has been in the news recently, thanks to a Dominican Republic-born archeologist unearthing sites tied to Cleopatra.
GMTours sends people to Alexandria — which still has Roman and Ancient Greek influences — and scuba divers can enter the harbour to see ruins that have been identified as Cleopatra’s palace.
Mikhai adds that she’s appreciative of the work archeologist Kathleen Martinez and the University of Santo Domingo have done to demonstrate Alexandria’s importance to Cleopatra.
Meanwhile, Mikhail says tourists should consider adding some Red Sea coast beach time to their Egypt vacation, adding the country’s sunny “365 days a year” and has lengthy “sandy beaches with crystal-clear waters shimmering with brilliantly colored fish and coral formations, making it great destination, for relaxing, scuba diving and snorkelling.”
GMTours has programs that visit beaches, such as Jewel of Egypt, Treasure of Egypt, Splendors of Egypt and Grand Tour of Egypt.
The company has a spring promotion of 10% that expires May 26.
More information is available through www.gmtours.com or by emailing [email protected].
