After my unforgettable morning with Dr. Mark Lehner and my second visit to the Giza Pyramids, I took an Uber back into Cairo for something I had been unsure about: visiting the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. With the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum just days away, I wasn’t certain how many treasures were still housed in the old building. I even asked my hotel host whether it was still worth going—and I was told that the Narmer Palette was still there, as well as the tiny but iconic statue of King Khufu. That sealed the deal. If those masterpieces were still inside those pink walls, then so was I.

I’m thrilled that I went. The moment I stepped into the museum, I felt that familiar pulse of antiquity that only Egypt can give you—dusty, timeless, chaotic, and utterly magical. I stood in front of the Narmer Palette, one of the most important artifacts in human history, and marveled at how something so old could feel so vividly alive. Then I found the Khufu statue, so small it could fit in the palm of your hand, yet powerful enough to represent the man who commissioned the Great Pyramid itself. Seeing it up close felt strange. Seeing the actual tactile artifact that you have seen so many times in photographs and webpages. And not a bit of the irony was wasted that the ruler who commissioned the largest structure on the planet for over 4000 years was represented here in person in a statue that is just under 5 inches tall.

The museum had far more to offer than I expected. One of the highlights was spending time among the Akhenaten displays, including his coffin lid. The lid bears the scars of iconoclasm—his cartouche violently chiseled out by those who despised him after his death. His gilded face ripped from the lid of his coffin. Akhenaten, the “heretic king,” dared to introduce the concept of monotheism, and generations tried to erase him from history. Standing in front of that defaced lid felt like standing at the crossroads of belief, power, and history.

There were countless other treasures tucked into this grand old museum—more than enough to fill an afternoon with wonder. I left deeply grateful that I made the effort to visit. For anyone traveling to Cairo, even with the Grand Egyptian Museum drawing all the attention, I highly recommend spending time at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. It’s a place where history breathes differently—raw, immediate, and unforgettable.

Yalla Bena!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBiFpENm56c

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/

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