The US550 million Grand Egyptian Museum project is scheduled to open in 2013.  A project manager will be announced this month, and tendering begins in September.  The museum project was conceived in 1992 and is an enormous undertaking – archeologists compare it to the Great Pyramid of Giza.  The vast, stone roofed building will cover an area the size of 11 football pitches, extending from the edge of the Giza plateau. Over 100,000 ancient artifacts will be housed in the hotel, including the contents of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.

The dean of Cairo University faculty of archaeology said “Egypt’s heritage is very important for its tourism, and so although we have to protect it, we also have to sell it in some way.  The dean, Professor Alaa al Din Shaheen, is also a member of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.  Tourism is an integral part of Egypt’s economy, accounting for 11% of its GDP, with receipts reaching $11 billion last year.