Egyptian history has long been popular among Japanese people, too, both as a tourist destination and as a field of archaeological study.
With the aging of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which opened in 1902, a new national museum—the Grand Egyptian Museum—was developed. Following a partial opening in 2024, the museum officially opened in full in November 2025. Located in Giza, near Cairo, the capital of Egypt, the museum offers panoramic views of the Giza pyramid complex from inside the building.

As a museum dedicated to a single civilization, it is one of the largest in the world and will ultimately house more than 100,000 artifacts. It is expected to become a major highlight of Egyptian tourism, a global center for Egyptology, and one of the world’s leading institutions for research and practice in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

Japan’s governmental agency, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), has supported the project. In addition to providing financial assistance for the museum’s construction, JICA has offered technical cooperation in the preservation and restoration of valuable artifacts, as well as support for the training of specialists engaged in conservation and restoration work since 2006.

The pyramids of Giza, believed to have been built more than 4,500 years ago, remain shrouded in mystery. It is thought that the construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu required the labor of 200,000 workers per day and took 30 years to complete. Who built them, and for what purpose? While the prevailing archaeological theory has long been that they were royal tombs, no mummies or grave goods have been discovered. In addition, new theories have emerged regarding the methods used to stack and transport the massive stone blocks.

The Grand Egyptian Museum, where you can experience the entire picture of ancient Egyptian civilization while facing the Pyramids of Giza, is a must-see destination for anyone visiting Egypt.