Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Thursday will officially open the Suez National Museum of Antiquities, which will showcase nearly 7000 years of Suez history. The museum will showcase the history of the city from prehistoric times to the modern era. It includes a Suez Canal display that features artifacts, paintings and maps detailing the canal's history. In a statement on Monday, Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass said the new museum comes as part of a plan to establish national museums to show the history of various Egyptian cities and to establish cultural centers through activities held at them. The museum was built on an area of 5950 square meters and cost LE42 million. It includes 1500 antiquities. The Suez Canal display will show the channel of Sesostris, which was constructed during the reign of King Senusret III (1878-1840 BC). The legendary king came up with the idea for the channel, which linked the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea via the Nile River. Displays include a sitting statue of the king and a bust of Queen Hatshepsut, known for her Red Sea expedition to Punt ("land of incense"), as well as rocks discovered in Suez inscribed with the image of Hapi, god of the northern Nile. The museum also includes a hall for navigation and trade displays, in which the different types of boats in ancient Egypt are showcased. The hall includes rock inscriptions of boats, wooden boat models and statues of sailors from different eras. Translated from the Arabic Edition
