CAIRO, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is located few kilometers away from the well-known Giza pyramids, opened for trial visit on Friday.
The staircase, which accommodates at least 60 artifacts, including ancient Egyptian statues, sphinxes, columns, and sarcophagi, is one of the GEM's most iconic venues and key pathways, connecting the Hanging Obelisk, the Glass Hall, and the Atrium, which houses the colossal 3,200-year-old, 83-ton statue of King Ramses II.
The Grand Staircase trial visit is part of the GEM's Trial Visits Program that also features the exhibition of famous child King Tutankhamun that opened on Nov. 21. Until the museum's official opening, which is anticipated to take place sometime in 2024, all other halls housing exhibitions and collections are closed.
The staircase, spanning more than 6,500 square meters, consists of four sections, each of which has a theme and houses different artifacts.
The four sections from bottom to top are the Royal Image, which features statues of ancient kings and queens, the Divine Houses, which exhibits temple columns and an obelisk, the Gods and Kings, where statues of kings with gods were shown, and the Journey to Eternity, which displays rectangular and human-shaped sarcophagi and relevant items.
A seated statue of King Amenhotep III, a massive statue of Queen Hatshepsut, another of King Senwosert III, a head statue of King Akhenaten, a granite doorway of King Amenemhat I, a statue of God Ptah with King Ramses II and Goddess Sekhmet, and a sarcophagus of Princess Nitocris are some of the important pieces on the Grand Staircase.
Visitors can get a distant view of the Giza pyramids by climbing to the top of the staircase.
The Egyptian government has not yet declared the date of the GEM's official opening, despite the structure having been under construction for more than 20 years. The GEM's official website estimates that it will occur in late spring of 2024.
Upon completion, the GEM is expected to host about 100,000 ancient artifacts, more than 4,500 of which are from the tomb of Tutankhamun, and to receive around 15,000 visitors a day.
