The Grand Egyptian Museum will be inaugurated on 15 March 2015 at its new headquarters on the Cairo-Alexandria Road, Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said Tuesday. In statements during his tour at the museum construction site, Hawass said he is committed to the time frame for the completion of the project, which is in its final phase. Hawass added that all relics in unsecured storehouses will be moved to the museum. Antiquities and tourism police and the military are cooperating to locate 31 artifacts still missing from the Egyptian Museum, said Hawass. He also said that anyone who returns a missing relic will receive a monetary reward. Mohamed Ghoneim, technical manager for the museum construction, said the project is mainly financed through a Japanese loan of US$300 million, of which $130 million has already been spent. The museum will cost an estimated $550 million to build, of which $100 million will come from Egypt and the remaining $150 million will be funded by local and international grants. The museum is expected to receive 5 million tourists annually, with an average of 15,000 tourists a day. Visitors are expected to reach 8 million per year just two years after the museum's inauguration.
