Egyptian museum jumps the gun on its late start

Egypt’s ambitious and comprehensive archaeology museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum, has opened to visitors months ahead of its announced plans, but well behind its original opening date of 2013.

The official inauguration will still take place next year, but a wide selection of galleries opened to visitors October 16, almost without announcement. More galleries will continue to open as they are completed, some after the official ceremonies.

The museum, located near the pyramids at Giza, just outside Cairo, is meant as a replacement for the Victorian-era Egyptian Museum in the city. At 490,000 square meters, it is the world’s largest archaeological museum.

_{Computer-generated image of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo by AshyCatinc/Wikimedia Commons}