The Egyptian Museum & National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC)

The second most famous museum in Cairo is the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC). Officially opened in 2021, this museum is the younger, hipper cousin of the Egyptian Museum. This museum is modern, air-conditioned and contains 50,000 artifacts from prehistoric times to modern-day Egypt. It is not an overly large museum, rather it feels comfortable and manageable to explore over a few hours visit.

We were guided through this museum by a passionate and knowledgeable guide, Iman. Iman had extremely deep knowledge of Egyptian history from the pharaonic age through to modern times. He was the perfect accompaniment on our visit to this museum. He spoke in great detail about Ancient Egypt and all of the subsequent periods in Egypt’s tumultuous history from the Ptolemaic,  Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Ottoman and colonial periods all the way through to Egypt as a republic. Altogether, Egypt’s recorded history spans more than 5000 years.

There were several statues that we saw that were particularly memorable. First, a granite statue made for Ramses II. Ramses II is also known as Ramses the Great and was one of the most powerful pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. He reigned for 66 years from 1303-1213 BC, as the third ruler in the 19th dynasty. Ramses’ reign was a time of great prosperity and wealth, as evidenced by the prolific temple and monument building that took place. In the statue, Ramses II is wearing the traditional attire for a pharoah – the headdress with a cobra. He has the pharaonic beard, a fake beard, worn as a symbol of wisdom. In his hand, he is holding a handkerchief in this case, but in other statues, he holds the royal seal.

Another statue that stands out is the statue of Akhenaten, who ruled Egypt from 1351–1334 BC as the 10th ruler of the 18th dynasty.  Akhenaten is holding the crook and flail, symbols of power and authority. Interestingly, he is depicted as both masculine, long face and strong jaw line, and feminine, narrow waist, swollen stomach and wide hips. He is made to appear very different from the look favored by other pharaohs who came before him. The reason is believed to be connected to the new religion he was introducing, abandoning the traditional pantheon of gods in favor of a single god, Aten, or solar disc. Akhenaten was also the father of Tutankhamen.

After a tour of the main gallery, it was time to descend to the lower level to the Mummies Hall. The NMEC is most well-known for its mummy collection of 22 mummies, comprised of 18 kings and 4 queens, who reigned from the 17th to 20th dynasties during the New Kingdom. These mummies were moved from the Egyptian Museum to the NMEC in an event called “Pharoah’s Golden Parade” during the inauguration of the museum. Originally, the mummies were found in two mummy caches in Luxor where priests had removed them from their original burial tombs in the Valley of the Kings and stored them in other tombs to protect them from grave robbers.

Upon entering the Mummies Hall, the rooms were dark, almost crypt-like, and visitors were encouraged to speak softly. Photography is not permitted in the mummy gallery. It is surprising how well preserved the mummies are after 3000 years. It occurred to me that this is one of the few situations where gaped-mouth staring in the presence of others does not create social awkwardness. After the initial fascination of being inches away from a mummy abated, it was possible to observe carefully what we were seeing. An ethereal quality emanated from the delicate facial features with expressions frozen for eternity. Fingers and toes are all perfectly intact, leading the mind to imagine an ever so small movement, a twitch, from the preserved digits and limbs. On the heads of the queens, it is possible to make out the hair style, whether it was plaited or loose. These bodily remains were once filled with life and power by the rulers of an ancient and sophisticated civilization. For our eyes to gaze upon these mummies is a trespass through time granted to us by the priests who initially hid the mummies in the Deir el-Bahari cache, the Egyptologists and archaeologists who discovered the cache, the government and museum administrators who protected and created the exhibit and mother nature herself who kept the mummies safe for thousands of years in her arid desert womb.

After spending our morning suspended in a timeless plane, we descended to the mortal world of the present day. We proceeded to a local koshari joint to enjoy the dish that has become one of our family favorites in Cairo. Koshari is considered Egypt’s national dish and even to non-Egyptians, it is easy to see that it is comfort food, home-food made by moms for the families they love. It is made with a mixture of rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas and topped with tomato sauce. My favorite part is the crispy fried onions that are used as an added topping and the dish is only complete with the final drizzle of garlic vinegar and hot sauce.