CAIRO - He enters a big room, where about a dozen people, all wearing white lab coats, are busy with their work. He walks up to a lady who is peering through a microscope at a coin. In her hand, she’s holding something like a needle.
A priceless treasure: Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda (C) examining one of the artifacts in the Conservation Centre at the Grand Egyptian Museum, due to open in 2015.
"What are you doing?" he asks. She removes the mask she’s wearing. "I'm cleaning the rust from this coin," the young Egyptian archaeologist replies.
"How old is it?" he asks. "It’s from the Roman era."
The Ambassador takes off his glasses and examines the coin. "Wonderful!"
Last week, Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda toured the Conversation Centre, established for the purpose of conserving Egyptian artifacts, including those destined for the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), as well as to develop the capacities of the conservators.
He roamed the laboratories and stores to see what has been done so far, speaking with the Japanese expert, as well as the Egyptian staff.
The story of the GEM began when it was decided to construct a new museum, because the Egyptian Museum in Al Tahrir Square is too small.
It contains statues, stone sarcophaguses, Pharaonic mummies and much more, but many large artifacts are in storage, because there isn’t room to display them.
Also, given the site limitations in Al Tahrir, it would be very difficult to expand the museum.
In 2002, former president Mubarak laid the foundation stone for the GEM, located 2km west of the Giza Pyramids, near a motorway interchange.
The building's north and south walls line up directly with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure. The GEM will allow Egypt to become a major worldwide hub for Pharaonic history and the most sought-after place for Egyptologists.
In 2007, $550 million had been secured for building the GEM, including a $392 million soft loan from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). The Egyptian Government contributed around $150 million, while the remaining would be funded through donations and international organisations.
The GEM is being built on 486,000 square metres of land.
This space will not only include the exhibition galleries, but also an archaeological study storage and educational centre; a library, children’s museum, children’s school and outdoor children’s recreational gardens, a museum for people with special needs and an educational centre containing a 3-D cinema, a theatre, arts and crafts workshops for adults and children; in addition to retail shops, and food and beverage and recreational areas.
In co-operation with the Executive Authority of the GEM, the Ministry of Culture, JICA is providing technical assistance to the GEM’s Conservation Centre, which opened in 2010 and is attached to the museum.
"The GEM is going to collect 100,000 artifacts for the exhibition and research," said Mikio Nakamura, an expert and the chief adviser and co-ordinator for the Conservation Centre project.
"Of the 100,000 artifacts, we have already checked more than 22,000, including King Tut’s Golden Mask, allowing us to make an accurate database," he told The Egyptian Gazette.
