Cairo: The year 2022 marks two major milestones in the cultural history of Egypt - it’s the 200th anniversary of the Rosetta Stone decipherment, as well as the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Deciphering the Rosetta Stone unlocked the secrets of ancient Egypt and gave the world a higher understanding of hieroglyphics, while the discovery near modern Luxor in the Valley of the Kings of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, a pharaoh who died more than 3,300 years ago, provided knowledge of ancient Egypt’s materialistic culture.
After decades of controversy surrounding the faith of the thousands of items excavated from the tomb, the Egyptian government will finally get to display all the artefacts discovered with Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus in Cairo, more specifically in the new soon-to-be-opened Grand Egyptian Museum on the Giza Plateau right next to the pyramids. The museum is expected to open its doors to visitors this November.
In the run up to the grand opening, museums around the world are participating in the important milestones with exhibitions of their own highlighting ancient Egypt’s treasures, including the British Museum in London, the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Chinese Museum of Chengdu, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, the Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée in Marseille, the Museum Egipci in Barcelona, the Neues Museum in Berlin, and the Museo Civico Archeologico in Bologna.
Meanwhile Egypt is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Rosetta Stone with nearly a month-long programme of cultural events running until September 27th. The highlight of the special exhibition held at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat is the remarkable story of French historian Francois Champollion’s decipherment of the Rosetta Stone in 1822, together with all the associated documents, photographs, and artefacts.
In addition, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is also organising three exhibitions at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, and cultural and educational campaigns including ‘Learn about Your Governorate’s Treasures’ as well as the ‘Ancient Egyptian Language’ programme designed to introduce people to hieroglyphics.
