Museum, which will be home to some 7,000 artefacts from prehistoric to modern times, enters second phase of construction, which will include completion of the museum's interior and exhibition facilities Within the framework of a plan by Egypt's Ministry of State for Antiquities to build national museums in locations around the country with a view to preserving Egyptian heritage and creating new tourist attractions, construction of the planned national museum in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh continues to progress on schedule. The first phase of the project has now been completed following three years of feasibility studies and construction work. This phase included construction of the museum building and associated administrative structures as well as 26 bazaars and a bookstore. The second phase, which began immediately afterward, will include completion of the museum's interior and exhibition facilities, along with the installation of the museum's security system. At the launch of the second phase, Minister of State for Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim embarked on an inspection tour of the museum to appraise the work that had been achieved so far. The museum will exhibit some 7,000 artefacts dating from prehistoric times until the modern era of Mohamed Ali. Artefacts have been carefully selected from museums all over Egypt, as well as antiquities that have been unearthed in Sharm El-Sheikh and some that have been retrieved from Israel. Among the objects on display will be 11 authentic Coptic textiles belonging to an ancient Egyptian named Nagla Riad, who inherited them from her aunt, artist Taheya Halim. The textiles are of different sizes and shapes and are decorated with images of animals, foliage and geometric shapes. According to Ibrahim, the museum's garden will itself be an open-air museum and entertainment area, featuring a cinema, theatre and 1000-seat conference hall. The museum will also boast a cafeteria and a bookstore specialised in history and antiquities books. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/34318.aspx
