What visitors expect of the 'GEM' Part II

Egypt Independent (Fatma Kesh)

Part I can be found here.

On a Sunday afternoon, the garden of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square is quiet. The only people on the premises, apart from the museum’s staff, are scores of Egyptian visitors, mostly students and families who have come to visit the country’s most prestigious cultural institution.

“This is my sixth visit to the museum,” says Ahmed Taylon, a student at Ain Shams University’s Faculty of Agriculture. “And it will definitely not be my last.”

Taylon likes to visit the museum every once in a while because it is impossible to see its vast collection on a single visit. He first learned about the museum in school at the port city of Rosetta, but was only able to visit it after he moved to study in the Egyptian capital.

Many residents of Rosetta would like to visit the museum as well, says Taylon, but they have little practical information about it to be able to organize a trip down to Cairo.

“Why not have TV or radio advertisements, informing the public about its opening hours and other practical information?” he asks.