You could spend a lifetime examining the more than 120,000 items in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, in Cairo. The collection is as vast as it is priceless. The cluttered rooms and dusty display cases give the museum a colonial charm. One of the highlights of the Egyptian Museum is the Tutankhamen room. You can view the pharoah’s exquisite gold funeral mask, and a variety of jewelry recovered from the tomb. Just outside this room are the larger contents of the tomb. It’s hard to imagine so many items packed into such a small chamber. The museum’s other big draw is the Royal Mummies Hall. This special room is the final resting place of 11 mummies of former kings and queens. While you can visit the museum on your own, the experience is much richer with an Egyptologist. My guide, from Abercrombie & Kent tours, brought the exhibits to life and showed us so much more than just artifacts. Alison Cornford-Matheson traveled to Egypt courtesy of the Egypt Tourism Authority and Abercrombie & Kent. Her highlights are part of AFAR’s partnership with The United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, peace-of-mind, value, and freedom to enjoy destinations across the entire globe. See more about Alison’s trip at the USTOA blog.
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Lose Yourself in the Egyptian Museum
You could spend a lifetime examining the more than 120,000 items in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, in Cairo. The collection is as vast as it is priceless. The cluttered rooms and dusty display cases give the museum a colonial charm. One of the highlights of the Egyptian Museum is the Tutankhamen room. You can view the pharoah’s exquisite gold funeral mask, and a variety of jewelry recovered from the tomb. Just outside this room are the larger contents of the tomb. It’s hard to imagine so many items packed into such a small chamber. The museum’s other big draw is the Royal Mummies Hall. This special room is the final resting place of 11 mummies of former kings and queens. While you can visit the museum on your own, the experience is much richer with an Egyptologist. My guide, from Abercrombie & Kent tours, brought the exhibits to life and showed us so much more than just artifacts. Alison Cornford-Matheson traveled to Egypt courtesy of the Egypt Tourism Authority and Abercrombie & Kent. Her highlights are part of AFAR’s partnership with The United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, peace-of-mind, value, and freedom to enjoy destinations across the entire globe. See more about Alison’s trip at the USTOA blog.
The juice factor.
One of the many things I loved most about being in Cairo was the abundance of fresh fruit juice everywhere you went. Strawberry, mango and (as seen in Greg’s hand) my favorite, guava! Here, we’re at a breakfast buffet following our very own private tour of the Egyptian Museum.
