Construction work on Grand Egyptian Museum resumes

OCI will work with Besix on the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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Construction work on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo is to resume next week, with thousands of ancient Egyptian artefacts to be carefully transferred there.

The third phase of the GEM rehabilitation scheme includes construction of the museum’s main exhibition halls, which will display some 120,000 ancient Egyptian artefacts. The museum’s official opening is in March 2015.

First and second phases of the GEM renovation project have been completed, and included construction of the labs, storehouses, power station and firefighting unit.

So far some 10,000 objects have been transferred to the GEM from archaeological museums and sites all over Egypt.

The top attractions will include a Tutankhamen display, as well as some of the other most celebrated of ancient Egypt’s kings and queens.

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In late December, Egypt’s largest listed company, Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), announced a joint venture $810m deal with the Besix Group for work on the GEM.

The museum will be located on the Cairo-Alexandria highway overlooking Egypt’s Grand Pyramids.

OCI Construction Group MD Osama Bishai said in December his company were “proud to be part of one of Egypt’s future landmark projects.”

He added: “The Egyptian Grand Museum will be the first iconic building in Egypt’s modern history, and will create about 5,000 jobs during the course of its construction. It will also be a great addition to Egypt’s tourism industry.”

A joint venture between Hill International and EHAF Consulting Engineers will provide project management services during the design and construction of the project.