The Grand Egyptian Museum is finally in a trial phase after almost two decades of being constructed at a cost of nearly a billion dollars. The museum is not only an architectural work of art, but a milestone in Egypt’s progress to becoming a brighter country and the beacon of knowledge it once was. The museum holds many works of art and capture’s Egypt’s glorious past as it stands right next to the pyramids and showcases many Egyptian artifacts. This will also include the Tutankamun collection when the museum finally opens.
Here are a few stats about the museum:
All this joyous progress should be met by Egyptians with joy; however, many Egyptians are disappointed in the prices of the museum: saying that they are way too high and way too expensive at 200 LE per adult. Compared to other museums in Egypt like the Royal Jewellery museum which costs only 20 per adult, it definitely is very much more expensive. In fact, Egyptians are used to paying only small fees for museums and letting foreigners pay for them With much Higher prices.
Here is a comparison of the prices of various different museums in Egypt in EGP:
However, the picture looks very different when you look at prices of other world class museums. These museums are the creme de la creme, and represent the museums with the most iconic pieces of art with artists like Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Hokusai represented. The Uffizi houses the legendary statue of David by Michaelangelo and the Louvre houses the famous Mona Lisa. The Grand Egyptian Museum is meant to be compared with these museums as it is a new breed of museum in Egypt and the newest one.
Museums Abroad (clockwise): The Louvre, Uffizi, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of Singapore
Here are comparisons of various museums from: Asia, Europe and North America when it comes to both Adult and Student Prices:
Prices of Museums in the USA:
Here are the Prices of Museums in Europe:
Prices of Museums in Asia:
As you can see, the price of the museum is incredibly cheap for Egyptians when compared to other world-class museums. Keep in mind that the GEM is also the newest museum and would as such command a high price. The Belvedere stands as the most expensive thanks to its beautiful halls, displays of Klimt and Monet and the cost of living in Vienna and the museums of North America are at a close second place because of the cost of living in these world cities. The GEM commands a similar price to the Belvedere to foreigners, who have voted favourably for the GEM in most awards. The cheapest is the National Museum of Korea, which is free to all visitors except for special exhibitions. Free museums are not rare abroad, as many less famous museums not pictured in the graphs are free. In fact, the British Museum (which houses the rosetta stone) is free to all visitors.
As you can also see most museums also have a 50% discount and the GEM is still the cheapest, with the exception of the Louvre being cheaper as it is free to students (as is the Hermitage). A massive difference, however, is that many museums in other nations have days that are completely free to students or to all. No Egyptian museums have regular free visit days and only some do it on a very sporadic basis and mainly just one free day on May the 18th because of international museum day. Some nations have museums free on the first Sunday of the Month, some on the last Sunday and others on National Holidays. Here is a map of all the countries that have museums with regular free days based of research:
For Egyptians, the price of the museum is not as outrageous as it first seems. It is only a large amount when compared to the old prices of museums that were not sustainable according to government sources and when compared to free museums abroad. Perhaps what is truly expensive for Egyptians is getting to the museum as there is no reliable public transport to the museum, which truly be a hurdle for many citizens without a car and not having free days for families to be able to enjoy the museum.
The museum presents a chapter in Egypt’s history and its price should not be a meaningful obstacle for most families who are interested in being able to go at least once in their life. Perhaps the poorest may not be able to afford it and some welfare measures should be taken into account and regular free days are a must, but none such programmes exist.
Source:
Each Museum's respective Website
https://www.visit-gem.com/en/home
https://www.jica.go.jp/Resource/project/english/egypt/0702247/news/general/news120312_01.html
Free Museum Days In Europe: Which Day Of The Month Are Museums Free To Visit? [Updated On 2024]
https://wowfare.com/blog/free-museum-days-in-europe/?form=MG0AV3