The Ministry of Culture solicited bids on Thursday from four specialized companies that had won an international competition for carrying out the third and final stage of construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum project. The third stage will include construction of the museum's main building and inner galleries. Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said that work would begin in February on condition that a company was chosen to carry out the project and following approval from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. He added that different offers would be presented and bid specifications distributed to the four companies for study, after which one of the companies will be chosen to implement the project's third stage. The museum stands to become one of the most important cultural projects of the 21st century. It will be built on 116 acres of land at a total cost of some $600 million, and will display roughly 100,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts. First Lady Suzanne Mubarak had inaugurated the project's first two stages, which included rehabilitating and preparing the site of the museum. The final stage of the project is expected to take up to 24 months, after which the museum will be ready for its official opening. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
