Suzanne Mubarak, wife of the president of Egypt, has inaugurated the first two phases of the new US$550m (£372m, €444m) Grand Museum of Egypt.
The new 100,000sq m (1.1m sq ft) museum, which occupies a 120-acre (48.5 hectares) site about 2km (1.2 miles) from the Pyramids of Giza, now has a power plant, a fire station and a conservation centre.
One of the milestones in the museum's construction has been the completion of the conservation centre. This contains 12 laboratories for restoring, scanning and studying mummies, as well as artefacts made from pottery, wood, textiles and glass. More than 120 conservationists are already at work in the centre, restoring and preparing 6,800 artefacts for display in the Grand Museum.
Funding for the museum has included a loan of US$300m (£203m, €242.4m) from Japan, while the Egyptian Culture Ministry will provide US$150m (£101.4m, €121m). A further US$27m (£18.2m, €22m) has so far been received in donations and the rest is expected to be collected from Supreme Council of Antiquities and other donors and private funds.
The museum is scheduled for a partial opening in 2012 and construction is expected to be completed in 2013. It is anticipated that the museum will host 100,000 artefacts including King Tutankhamun's mummy, his golden burial effects and a replica of his tomb. Many of the 100,000 items are currently stored in the old Grand Museum complex in Cairo due to lack of display space.
The building was designed by Heneghan Peng Architects of Dublin, Ireland, with Arup acting as structural engineers.
The main building is shaped like a chamfered triangle with a large plaza filled with date plants at the front. The front facade of the museum is a translucent stone wall made of alabaster and the structure's main entrance features a large atrium for the exhibition of large statues.
