The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation is to open next year. Nevine El-Aref inspects work in progress ready to meet the deadline The scene as one steps into the 33-feddan site of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) overlooking Ain Al-Sira Lake in the heart of Egypt's first Islamic Capital, Al-Fustat, is totally different from how it was only a year ago. The NMEC's main building is nearing completion along with its galleries, corridors and various exhibition sections. Despite still showing some concrete underlay, the floors and staircases are encased in gray marble and the lighting and security systems are all installed. To check on the progress of the latest construction and organising the work phases at the NMEC, the culture minister, Farouk Hosni, the project supervisor Farouk Abdel-Salam and Mohamed Abu Seiada, head of the Cultural Development Fund, embarked last Tuesday on a tour of the museum's various sections. During the tour Hosni said that work was going according to the time schedule drawn up in collaboration with technical and museological assistance from UNESCO and the NMEC official inauguration scheduled for July 2011. He described the museum as "an exploration of Egypt's history through a display of the history not only of the monuments but the human beings as well." On display will be 150,000 artefacts carefully selected from the principal museums in Egypt: the Egyptian, Islamic and Coptic museums in Cairo; the Graeco-Roman and Alexandria National museums in Alexandria; and the Luxor Museum; as well as major archaeological storehouses such as those on the Giza Plateau and at Saqqara. Hosni told Al-Ahram Weekly that the exhibits featuring the skills and achievements that Egypt's history has witnessed over the ages would be organised within the museum's walls. In addition to the chosen collection, the NMEC will house a whole set of monuments, among them are the Seboua Temple of Ramses II -- now on Lake Nasser; a complete façade of a Fatimid sabil ; two columns from King Djoser's temple at Saqqara; the collection of royal mummies; and the mummy of the ancient Egyptian artist Sanejem which is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told the Weekly that the royal mummies will be displayed in such a way to illustrate the different personalities and achievements within the social context. These would include models of relevant temples, tombs and obelisks. Abdel-Salam explained that the River Nile, handwriting, handicrafts, society and faith were the five main component themes of the new museum. As Egypt's source of life and stability, the Nile effectively gave birth to the Egyptian civilisation, which was based essentially on agriculture. In the Nile pavilion, he continued, visitors would be able to traverse the various epochs beginning with pre-history right through the Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic and modern periods. One of the most important subjects will be the section giving the history of Lake Nasser; its creation, its importance and its role in changing the irrigation system and agricultural methods of Egypt. The irrigation system exhibition, Abdel-Salam said, would start with the reign of King Mena, founder of the First Dynasty, and continue until the time of Senusert III of the Middle Kingdom. In this pavilion, a section will be dedicated to Egypt's flora and fauna. In the handwriting section visitors will see the scientific aspects of the nation's evolution in science through astrology, mathematics and medicine. Successive eras have witnessed Egypt's economic prosperity, which helped expand the Egyptian market and developed industrial life in Egypt. Various kinds of handicrafts will be on show relating to copper and other metals as well as sculpting, carving and architecture. The various echelons of Egyptian society and its governmental system will be explained in the ethnographical section, along with the different faiths. The outdoor exhibits, Abdel-Salam said, would include several of the discoveries made during the inspection digs. Among these were a Fatimid laundry found in the 1960s by Le Service Egyptien des Antiquités; the oldest existing plan of an Islamic house dating back to 75 AH; and blocks bearing hieroglyphic inscriptions. These blocks were eventually used in the construction of other edifices on this site. The oldest dyeing factory ever found with more than 100 clay dyeing pots will be displayed in the outdoor exhibition. As for ancient Egyptian artefacts found in the debris, such as the udjet (eye of Horus) and scarab amulets, these will be placed in a special showcase for objects recovered from the sand. To attract more Egyptian visitors a commercial zone along with a cafeteria, restaurants, a cinema and a theatre will be installed in the museum garden. Bazaars and shops are also planned. Plans for the NMEC were in fact drawn up in 1990, but the first phase of the project began only in 2002 after the laying of the pyramid-shaped foundation stone. The museum has grand ambitions -- it is intended to address several periods of Egypt's great past. Space was originally allowed for a museum of civilisation in what is now the parking area of the Cairo Opera House, but since this proved too small the idea remained dormant until 1997 when, during an Iftar (Ramadan breaking of fast) with the minister of interior, Hosni was so impressed with the panoramic view from the edge of the Ain Al-Sira Lake that he suggested to archaeologists and experts from UNESCO that it might make a suitable location for the museum. All the authorities concerned agreed, describing it as a perfect site not only because of its attractive backdrop but also its distinguished history. In addition to being at the core of the former city of Fustat, beside neighbouring religious and antiquities-rich Old Cairo with its Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque, Hanging Church and Beni- Ezra synagogue, it is close to Maadi, an important site in the pre-dynastic epoch, as well as to the Citadel of Salaheddin. The stage for the NMEC was set in 2000, with the Cairo governorate removing all encroachment on the site and offering the Ministry of Culture the 33 feddans they needed. In 2002 Mrs Suzanne Mubarak laid the foundation stone, and in 2004 the first phase of the project was completed. This aimed at preparing the site for construction work by carrying out a routine but extensive pre-building inspection to check if any antiquities were buried below ground. In addition, an up-to-date storehouse, similar to the ones at the Louvre in Paris and the British Museum in London, has been built on site. Such museological storage, with a very sophisticated security system connected directly with the police commissariat, says Sally Halawa, coordinator of the NMEC project, is the first of its kind to be built in Egypt. To access it magnetic cards from two inspectors are required. To tighten security measures and abort any attempt at theft, each showcase has its own code connected to a special device, which in turn registers the time and the ID code of the curator who opens it. A laboratory to restore pieces in the museum's chosen collection was also among the achievements in the first phase. The second phase of the project, the actual construction, began in 2007.
