Egyptian Museum what's best

[cruise4usnow]

Many of you have said your time was too short at 2,3, or 4 hours. What would you send your time on if you did it over? would you do the mummy room, which exhibits or sections did you like or do you wish you had seen?

Thanks

[smeyer418]

Its over whelming. The Mummy room was interesting but once you have seen one mummy....the amount of Tutankhamen stuff they have is unbelievable. I have seen both US exhibits of Tut and they don't even scratch the surface of what they have in Egypt. What I did was get there early(when it opens) and made a beeline to the second floor where Tut is and spent about a half hour before the crowds got up from downstairs. We went twice for a couple of hours each(with and with out a guide)...

[cruisemom42]

My best advice is to take a good guidebook with you, one that has a plan laid out for viewing the exhibits in order chronologically so that they make some kind of sense. The book I've linked below is excellent and I took it with me -- took about 4 hours to go back and see all that I wanted to see (having already seen Tut's treasures and some other major pieces on our guided tour).

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Treasures-Ancient-Egypt-Alessandro-Bongioanni/dp/8854008346/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204909391&sr=1-30

 

If you are an avid Egyptologist, you will want to start with the prehistoric period (front and center, ground floor) then move around the ground floor clockwise to view exhibits from the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom. On the second floor you will find New Kingdom exhibits, as well as the VERY popular rooms devoted to the finds from King Tut's tomb. There are also rooms housing beautiful exhibits of ancient jewelry, papyrus, and sarcophagi, and the royal mummies (a separate fee) located on the front left and front right corners of the first floor.

 

Some of the things I found most fascinating:

 

the LARGE pieces of sculpture in the ground floor atrium area (where you will also find a fascinating piece of "ancient" carpeting -- don't miss it).

 

The room devoted to Akhenaton and Nefertiti in the back of the ground floor. It has recently been reorganized. There is a beautiful unfinished bust of Nefertiti that makes you sad you can't also see the famous one in Berlin.

 

The partial statue (face only) of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh whose mummy has recently been identified and whose beautiful funerary temple I saw at Luxor.

 

The treasures of Tut, obviously!

 

The treasures of Tanis (first floor back left corner, past the Tut rooms) -- beautiful silver and gold jewelry from later dynasties.

 

The royal mummies -- would not have missed them for the world.

 

The ancient papyrus -- I was bowled over by the delicate art and the still very visible colors.

[Sekhmet]

Good advice, cruisemom.

 

Can I add a vote for the jewellery room, especially the examples from the Middle Kingdom. Much of the ancient work looks very heavy and over-ornate to modern tastes, but the Egyptians' zenith period for jewellery was in the Middle Period, and some of it is really delicate and pretty - look for the collection from the tomb of Princess Khnumet.

 

Sekhmet

[cruise4usnow]

Thanks CruiseMom, I ordered the book they have only 3 left in stock!

[cruisemom42]

You're welcome. It's a good book and has a nice description of every major item.....which is definitely a plus because signage at the Museum is sadly lacking in many cases.

[paul929207]

Many of you have said your time was too short at 2,3, or 4 hours. What would you send your time on if you did it over? would you do the mummy room, which exhibits or sections did you like or do you wish you had seen?

Thanks

 

What is best? - everything.

 

But the best of the best would be the mummu romm & king tut.

[CruiseOs]

Thanks CruiseMom, I ordered the book they have only 3 left in stock!

Thanks from us, too! I ordered one and now they have only 1 left in stock!

[rubinstein2r]

Are all the exhibits in the Egyptian Museum clearly marked in English? Are there audio guides and did you use them?

 

Thanks!

 

--Leo and Myra in AZ

[cruisemom42]

Are all the exhibits in the Egyptian Museum clearly marked in English? Are there audio guides and did you use them?

 

Thanks!

 

--Leo and Myra in AZ

 

 

I did not see any audioguides. The exhibits are notoriously poorly marked. Some do not have any information at all, others have perhaps a name and date, and some have a brief paragraph of descriptive info. It's a bit like poking around in someone's attic. The items from Tutankhamun's tomb are probably the most clearly marked.

 

The book I mentioned before was really helpful for me because I wanted to wander on my own and really study some of the pieces. I'm guessing the museum store (to the right of the main entrance) probably also sells a book or guide that would give similar -- or perhaps slightly less -- details.

[rubinstein2r]

Thanks for the recommendation. I just picked up a copy on half.com where they have them for about 10 dollars.

 

--Myra in AZ

[CAT GIRL]

We had a private tour guide who is an Egyptologist with us for

our day in Egypt. She took us through the museum and was able

to show us the highlights. She could even read the hieroglyphics.

She was able to manuever us around the crowds and come back to

the attractions that needed seeing when no one was around. She

knew the museum like the back of her hand. An added bonus is

that the Mummies Room is air conditioned. We spent a couple of hours

at the museum but could have spent more time there.

[Beachfam]

We had a private tour guide who is an Egyptologist with us for

our day in Egypt. She took us through the museum and was able

to show us the highlights. She could even read the hieroglyphics.

She was able to manuever us around the crowds and come back to

the attractions that needed seeing when no one was around. She

knew the museum like the back of her hand. An added bonus is

that the Mummies Room is air conditioned. We spent a couple of hours

at the museum but could have spent more time there.

Cat Girl, How did you find your tour guide?