Karnak's open-air museum gets a tourist-friendly facelift: Ministry

Nevine El-Aref , Thursday 20 Jul 2023

The Karnak Temples' open-air museum near Luxor has been given a facelift to make it more appealing to tourists, according to statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The work was completed within the framework of the National Tourism Strategy, which aims to enhance the visitor experience at museums and archaeological sites in Egypt.

The project, which started two months ago, improved the site by installing new seats, sunshades, and signage to provide visitors with required information and direction.

It also replaced paving tiles that have gone missing over past decades and improved mobility for disabled people.

New artefacts were also added to the open-air museum to enrich its display. Among them are objects from the reigns of King Akhenaten (c.1350 BC) and King Shabaka (705-690 BC) and others that date back to the Late Period (664-332 BC).

The open-air museum is located in the northwest corner of the Karnak Temples. It brings together a magnificent collection of monuments that were found scattered due to archaeological excavations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As it was impossible to rebuild them in their original location, the open-air museum was established in 1937 to preserve the blocks and architectural elements found and rebuild them there.

Now, the museum displays a collection of distinguished monuments. Among them are the red quartzite Red Chapel from the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (c.1478-1458 BC), the shrine of King Tuthmosis III (1479-1425 BC), columns from the reign of King Thutmose IV (c.1400-1390 BC), two alabaster chapels belonging to kings Thutmose I (1506-1493 BC) and Thutmose II (1493-1479 BC) as well as a large Talatat limestone wall from the reign of King Akhenaten.

The museum also features a collection of ancient Egyptian slabs as well as remains of portico and architectural elements from different edifices that once graced the temples.