In the Liechtenstein Palace, people could see the design of the Egyptian museum

Prague - Visitors to the Liechtenstein Palace on Prague's Kampa could see today the winning design of the planned Grand Egyptian Museum. As part of the exhibition Uncovering Ancient Egypt, organized for the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, the project, stemming from the largest architectural competition in history, was presented by the advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Culture, Muhammad Ghunajm.
    "We should have built a new museum many years ago. It is necessary for the survival of Egypt's historical heritage," said Ghunajm. The building is to be completed in 2011 and, according to Ghunajm, is characterized by superlatives. The museum is said to be the largest and best-equipped, and its opening will be the most prestigious. There will be over 100,000 artifacts housed in it. Egyptians hope that around 20,000 visitors will come daily.
    The construction of the museum will reportedly cost around 550 million dollars (8.7 billion crowns) according to Ghunajm. Japan provided the most financial resources for the construction.
    The largest Egyptological museum is to be equipped with modern information technology and interactive elements. It will concentrate all knowledge of one of the oldest civilizations. The cornerstone of the museum was laid by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February 2002.
    Around 2,500 participants from 105 countries applied to the international architectural competition for the museum's design. The winner was Irish architect of Japanese descent, Shih-Fu Peng. The building, according to his design, will be located between two light cones and will be surrounded by parks. The roof's construction will allow natural light to penetrate. The museum will be located near Cairo, approximately 2.5 kilometers from the pyramids at Giza.
    Czech architect Martin Roubík and his colleague Regina Loukotová also placed in the top ten.