Since their openings, these exhibitions have recorded impressive visitor numbers across different continents.
In Rome, the exhibition “Treasures of the Pharaohs” has welcomed around 120,000 visitors since its inauguration in October. In Hong Kong, “Ancient Egypt Reveals Its Secrets: Treasures from the Egyptian Museums” has attracted approximately 90,000 visitors since opening in November. Meanwhile, “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” continues its successful run in Tokyo, drawing about 420,000 visitors since its opening there last March.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said that the exhibitions play a central role in promoting Egypt’s cultural tourism offering. By showcasing artefacts and telling the stories behind them, the exhibitions encourage international audiences to visit Egypt and explore its archaeological sites firsthand, while strengthening the country’s competitiveness as a global tourism destination.
According to Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the public success of these exhibitions is the result of a deliberate curatorial approach that presents selected artefacts within a comprehensive scientific and museum framework. This approach highlights the historical and cultural context of each object and its original location, helping international audiences connect with Egypt’s archaeological landscape and appreciate its geographic and chronological diversity.
The “Treasures of the Pharaohs” exhibition features around 130 artefacts carefully selected from the collections of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art. Together, they present a multifaceted narrative of ancient Egyptian civilization, covering themes such as kingship, the royal court, religious beliefs, daily life, funerary rituals, and the afterlife.
The exhibition “Ancient Egypt Reveals Its Secrets” includes 250 distinguished artefacts from several Egyptian museums, including the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Matrouh National Museum, Kafr El-Sheikh National Museum, Luxor Museum, and the Sohag National Museum.
It also showcases recently discovered artefacts from the Saqqara archaeological site, alongside selected pieces previously displayed in the exhibition “On the Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt” at the Shanghai Museum.
“Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” features about 180 artefacts, led by the sarcophagus of King Ramses II from the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, as well as objects from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir dating to the reign of Ramses II, discoveries from the Egyptian archaeological mission at the Bubasteion area in Saqqara, and selected pieces from various Egyptian museums.
This collection illustrates key characteristics of ancient Egyptian civilization from the Middle Kingdom to the Late Period through statues, jewellery, cosmetic tools, stelae, inscribed stone blocks, and some vividly painted wooden coffins.
The global tour of “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” began in Houston in November 2021, followed by San Francisco in August 2022, Paris in April 2023, Sydney in November 2023, Cologne in July 2024, before reaching its current stop in Japan—underscoring the sustained international appetite for Egypt’s ancient heritage.
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