National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

Cairo

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo includes many Coptic churches and monasteries, as well as the Coptic Museum, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the first mosque ever built in Egypt, the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque. The Citadel of Saladin can also be seen from the museum's outdoor spaces, designed to emphasize the unique location overlooking Lake Ain El-Sira, the last sulfur natural lake in Cairo.

The museum was partially opened in 2017 to display a collection of 50.000 artefacts, presenting Egyptian Civilization from prehistoric times to present days.

The permanent collection is divided into two separate regions, one chronological the other thematic; the chronological eras are Archaic, pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, Modern and Contemporary. The thematic eras are following Down of civilization, the Nile, Writing, State & Society, Material Culture, Beliefs & Thinking and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

The museum’s central exhibition and Royal Mummies halls were opened in April 2021.

Discover Egypt includes this museum in some of its Cairo optional tours.