The second half of our day is dedicated to exploring a world class museum. The Egyptian Museum houses the largest and finest collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. Built in 1901, it is the largest museum in all of Africa. Almost 1/3 of the 2nd floor is dedicated to Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s treasure, including the gold burial mask, probably the best-known work of art in the world.

Before we make our way upstairs, we have some amazing treasures to view on the ground floor. The items are stunning to say the least. Sculpture, etchings, carvings, and even a small version of the great Sphinx.

Next we head upstairs to be amazed. After wandering through dozens of mummies and burial chambers, we make our way to the main attraction. We had a good idea of what we were going to see since we had read many books about the treasures and seen several artifacts in Museums in New York, London, Los Angeles and elsewhere, but nothing could have prepared us for what we were seeing now. In a word – incredible. When you see the King Tutankhamen treasures you are in awe of the amount of gold and jewels. Combine that with delicate and flawless craftsmanship and you are left in amazement. My only regret is that I can’t share any photos of the collection online. Absolutely NO PHOTOS! I am actually fine with that since it protects the items from deterioration.

I don’t want to end this post without mentioning the burial mask. In my opinion, I would say this is undoubtedly the most valuable piece of Art in the world for many reasons. Start with its age, over 3,000 years old. The weight of gold and jewels used to create the mask is around 22 pounds. The features of the face are lifelike and haunting. I could go on and on but my words can’t come close to the emotions I felt when viewing it. That my friends is priceless.

Ciao for now…