The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) opened fully in 2021 following the ‘Golden Parade’ of royal mummies, which were transported in style from the old Tahrir Square museum. Fustat (in Old Cairo) was chosen as the location because of its links to the Predynastic Maadi site, and its heritage as the first Islamic capital of Egypt. The museum was designed to offer ‘an overview of the breadth of Egypt’s rich cultural history’, from prehistory to the modern day, and the glossy new guide captures a selection of highlights from this important collection.
The book begins with a chronological history of Egypt over some 100 pages, including themed sections about daily life in ancient Egypt (such as medicine, hair and wigs, and the afterlife), and separate chapters on the Graeco-Roman Period, Coptic Era, Islamic Egypt, and modern Egypt. The rest of the book is a catalogue of key objects, grouped by their location in one of the three galleries: the Core Exhibition Gallery; Egyptian Textiles; and Royal Mummies. Each object is pictured in full colour (often against a glossy black background), together with a label detailing the object catalogue number, medium, era, height, find location, and date of excavation. Short paragraphs provide further details for some – but not all – of the objects, which include the Palaeolithic ‘Nazlet Khater skeleton’; the Stela of Qa‘a; fragments from a colossal statue of Akhenaten; a sphinx depicting Amenemhat III; gold and lapis duck bracelets belonging to Ramesses II; a pre-Christian silver crown from Nubia; an Islamic Period decorated minbar (pulpit); a range of Coptic textiles; and the official wedding photograph of King Farouk and Queen Narriman. The royal mummies are covered in their own section at the end of the book, followed by a handy summary of all the objects listed.
Considering the size of the tome (it measures 22cm by 15cm, and weighs about 800g), it is probably not a book you would carry during your visit; rather, it is a volume you would peruse in preparation, and then keep as a souvenir. And, for those unable to travel to Egypt, it makes excellent armchair reading – the next best thing to actually seeing the objects for yourself.
REVIEW BY SARAH GRIFFITHS
Highlights of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo
edited by Zahi Hawass
American University Press in Cairo, 2026
ISBN 978-1-649-03453-3
Paperback, £29.99
Win a copy in our photo competition here.
