VOA文化艺术2024--Huge Egyptian Museum Opens for Test Run

The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza will open a limited number of exhibits about ancient Egypt starting this week. The limited opening will be a test run of the still-unannounced official opening of the museum, officials said.

Starting on October 16, 4,000 visitors per day will be permitted to view limited areas of the main galleries, said Al-Tayeb Abbas. He is assistant to Egypt's minister of antiquities¹.

Museum officials have repeatedly delayed the museum opening for many reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Some areas have been open since 2022 for limited tours.

The museum is a huge project near the famous Giza Pyramids. The building project began more than 12 years ago and has cost more than $1 billion so far.

The Egyptian government says more than 100,000 artifacts of Egypt's ancient treasures are on show at the site. Officials describe it as the world's largest archaeological museum.

The exhibits in the test run include 12 areas that explore issues related to society, religion, and philosophies of ancient Egypt, Abbas added. The areas are divided by dynasty and historical order.

Historical divisions include the Third Intermediate Period, Late Period, and Graeco-Roman Period. It also includes the New Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and Old Kingdom periods. They all represent life thousands of years in the past.

One of the areas displays statues of the "Elite² of the King." These represent members of a king's family, and high-level officials who worked in the army, government or religious service.

Abbas told the AP that the test run would help prepare for the full opening by identifying operational issues. This includes finding out which parts of the museum might become overcrowded.

A reporter for the Associated Press spoke³ with some tourists at the museum.

Canadian visitor Aude Porcedda told the AP she was amazed by the museum. She said she believes it is important that the world know about Egyptian civilization.

Jorge Licano, a visitor from Costa Rica expressed similar praise.

"There is a lot of history and a lot of things we are not aware of, especially coming from the other side of the world, and seeing everything here and learning from the locals has been great," he said.

The limited opening includes the museum's so-called Grand Staircase. It is six stories high with a view of the nearby pyramids. Also open to the public, are artifacts that include sarcophagi and statues. Other parts of the museum, including the King Tutankhamun treasure collection, are set to open at later dates.

All the exhibit space is equipped with high-level technology and permit different kinds of media presentations to help explain the lives of ancient Egyptians, including kings, said museum official, Eissa Zidan.

Some exhibits will use virtual reality to explain the history of burial and its development throughout ancient Egypt.

"The museum is not only a place to display antiquities, but it also aims to attract children to learn about ancient Egyptian history ... The museum is a gift to all the world," Zidan told the AP.

Words in This Story

grand -adj. great in size : marked by magnificence

exhibit -n. an article or a collection shown in a public display

gallery -n. a room or building devoted⁴ to the exhibition of works of art

antiquity⁵ -n. objects or monuments from ancient times

tour -n. a journey for business, pleasure, or education often involving a series of stops and ending at the starting point

artifact -n. a usually simple object (as a tool or ornament) showing human work and representing a culture or a stage in the development of a culture

dynasty -n. a succession of rulers of the same line of descent

amazed -adj. feeling or showing great surprise or wonder

sarcophagus -n. a stone coffin : plural sarcophagi

1 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

2 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

5 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。