Field notes from the halls

Essays on exhibitions, conservation, and the stories behind Egypt's living museum culture.

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December 2025 · Giza

Inside GEM's Tutankhamun galleries: a curatorial revolution

For nearly a century, Tutankhamun's treasures were split between Cairo's Egyptian Museum and storage vaults few visitors ever saw. The Grand Egyptian Museum reunites all 5,400 objects for the first time — not in crowded vitrines, but in a dedicated wing where each piece receives space to breathe.

We spent three days with the curatorial team documenting display decisions that will define how a generation encounters Egypt's most famous pharaoh. The golden mask remains the climax, but the route builds through lesser-known objects — the boy king's linen gloves, his walking sticks, the floral collars placed in his tomb — each telling a fragment of a life cut short at nineteen.

By Layla Hassan, Senior Editor · 12 min read

October 2025 · Bab al-Khalq

The quiet restoration of the Museum of Islamic Art

When a car bomb detonated outside the Museum of Islamic Art in January 2014, the blast shattered display cases, cracked walls, and damaged over 160 artefacts. A decade of painstaking restoration followed — much of it invisible to the public who now walk through galleries that appear simply well-maintained.

We interviewed lead conservator Dr. Amira Soliman about the techniques used to repair Mamluk enamel glass and Fatimid woodwork. Her team worked fragment by fragment, using digital scanning to reconstruct broken latticework patterns. The museum reopened fully in 2023, but conservation continues behind the scenes on pieces too fragile for permanent display.

By Marcus Chen, Contributing Writer · 9 min read

August 2025 · Fustat

Twenty pharaohs, one hall: ethics of displaying royal mummies

The Royal Mummies Hall at NMEC presents Seqenenre Tao, Ramses II, Hatshepsut, and seventeen other pharaohs in dimly lit, climate-controlled cases. The display is technically extraordinary — each mummy rests at precise humidity and temperature. But it raises questions that Egypt's museum community continues to debate.

Should royal remains be exhibited at all? The Egyptian authorities argue that dignified display honours these rulers and educates millions. Critics counter that no consent is possible after three millennia. We present both perspectives and describe the strict photography ban and silence protocols that govern visitor behaviour in the hall — policies shaped as much by respect as by preservation science.

By Dr. Elena Voronova, Guest Contributor · 14 min read