Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo

Get up there son.
You too Jen, climb on top.
Now smile for the camera.
Click

Although the language and names spoken vary from time to time this is a typical conversation outside of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, as tourists climb onto the marble sphinx that stand guard in the Museum's garden for a photograph.



Recently I was lucky enough to travel to Egypt. This was a dream vacation that lived up to my greatest expectations. During my travels up the Nile and across the East Desert I saw monuments that I have studied in books since high school. While the pyramids were just as imposing as I had imagined and the temples more intricate and detailed than pictures can give justice there was one place in Egypt that did disappoint me, The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. As the primary museum for a country buried with history I expected to see great works of art and culture in an environment that supported their development and preservation.

It was to my great disappointment to see that this is not the case. Not only did the example above occur twice while I waited outside for my ticket, but inside the museum visitors had free reign, touching and leaning on ancient artifacts. The museum's conservation efforts began and seemed to end with their no photography policy. A few signs were located sparingly through out the museum saying "Do not touch", but this was not enforced, never mind followed. There was a beautiful statue of a Pharaoh from the Old Kingdom that was an example of beautiful workmanship. You could see the detail of a kneecap under thin drapery. While I was examining this piece a woman approached an noticed the same detail. She then proceeded to rub her hand across the knee of the statue. How can we expect these objects to survive for another thousand years if they are exposed to this kind of treatment? If visitors hands do not eventually rub away the workmanship of the ancient Egyptians, the chemicals left by their hands will.

Objects were crowded together with out any information pertaining to their history or significance. A few pieces did have labels, but these are few and far between and only offered in Arabic, with the occasional English comment.

This museum fell short of fullfilling the generally accepted fundimental roles of a museum: conservation, research, and education.