The Egyptian Museum owes its existence to the Egyptian Antiquities Service, established by the Egyptian government in 1835 to limit the looting of Egypt's priceless artifacts.
The museum opened in 1858 with a collection assembled by Auguste Mariette, the French archaeologist retained by Isma'il Pasha. It was originally housed in an annex of the palace of Ismail Pasha in Giza, the museum moved to its present location in 1900.
The Egyptian Museum's collection includes over 120,000 items. As at the Louvre Museum in Paris, it is necessary to be selective during a visit.
One major highlight is the famous Pharaoh Tutankhamen tomb collection on the museum's upper floor. The tomb of "King Tut" (as he is better known) was found remarkably intact by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1923. Artifacts on display include the gold funerary mask and sarcophagus, four huge gilded boxes that fit inside each other, an ancient trumpet, thrones, and even a royal toilet seat.
Also upstairs is the royal Mummy Room, which houses 11 royal mummies from pharaonic times. It has a significant entrance fee and does not allow photos, but the adjacent (free) room has a nice assortment of mummified animals and birds.
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