# National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo > The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat is where Cairo's royal mummies have lain since 2021 — Ramesses II, Hatshepsut, Seti I — above a main hall telling Egypt's story from prehistory onwards. Foreign adults pay EGP 550, mummies included. Open daily 9:00–17:00, plus Friday evenings. Allow 1.5–2 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum - City: [Cairo](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo), Egypt - YesGo score: 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Foreign adult: EGP 550, Royal Mummies Hall included - Foreign student: EGP 300 with a student card - Under 6: Free - Concessions: The ticket site says they don't apply on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays — ask at the desk - Ticket + museum guide: EGP 1,510, tour in English or Arabic - Hours: Daily 9:00–17:00, last ticket 16:00 - Friday evening: Second session 18:00–21:00, last ticket 20:00 - Ramadan: 9:00–16:00, last ticket 15:00 - Where to buy: Egymonuments website, the museum app or the ticket desk - Payment: Visa and Mastercard on every channel, ticket desk included - Photos in the Mummies Hall: Not allowed — unofficial - Metro: Mar Girgis (Line 1), then ≈ 2 km by taxi or on foot - Address: Al-Fustat Road, Ain El-Sira, Cairo - Coordinates: 30.00750, 31.24833 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **22 mummies** — of kings and queens moved here from Tahrir on 3 April 2021 in the Pharaohs' Golden Parade (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **18 + 4** — eighteen kings and four queens among the mummies moved (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **17th–20th** — dynasties covered, from Seqenenre Tao to Ramesses IX (source: English Wikipedia; Pyramidsland) - **2017** — a first, partial exhibition opened in February (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **2002** — the museum project began (source: Russian Wikipedia; Wikidata Q29017001) - **≈ 50,000** — objects in the collection, from prehistory to modern times (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **≈ 600** — pieces in the Textile Gallery (source: English Wikipedia; iloveegypt.com) - **Fatimid** — a medieval dye house on site — the only one left in Cairo (source: English Wikipedia; official museum website (nmec.gov.eg)) - **Valley of the Kings** — the model for the dim, tomb-like Mummies Hall (source: English Wikipedia; iloveegypt.com) - **Ain El-Sira** — the lake beside the museum, in Fustat — Egypt's first Arab capital (source: English Wikipedia; official museum website (nmec.gov.eg)) ## NMEC tickets and prices Foreign adults pay **EGP 550** and foreign students EGP 300; under-6s are free. The Royal Mummies Hall is included — there is no separate mummies ticket. A ticket bundled with a museum guide (English or Arabic) is EGP 1,510. These are the official prices on the Egymonuments ticket site. Buy on the Egymonuments website, in the museum's app or at the desk. Lines here are far shorter than at Giza, so booking ahead is optional. Visa and Mastercard are accepted on every official channel, including the ticket desk, but carry small Egyptian pounds for taxis, tips and toilets. One quirk: the ticket site says concessions and free-entry exemptions don't apply on Fridays, Saturdays and national holidays. If you're counting on a discount, check at the desk. ## Opening hours NMEC is **open every day, 9:00–17:00**, with the last ticket at 16:00. On Fridays there's a second, evening session from 18:00 to 21:00 (last ticket 20:00). During Ramadan the museum opens 9:00–16:00 and the desk closes at 15:00. Come at opening if you can: the Mummies Hall is quiet first thing, and tour groups build up towards midday. Fridays and public holidays bring local families; the Friday evening session suits anyone who spent the day at the pyramids. ## What is the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization? It's Egypt's state museum of the whole national story, in Fustat in southern Cairo. The draw for most visitors is the **Royal Mummies Hall**, home since 2021 to the pharaohs who used to lie in the old museum on Tahrir Square. Above it, a main hall walks through Egypt from the Stone Age to the 20th century. The main hall is arranged by theme — the dawn of civilisation, the Nile, writing, society, beliefs, material culture — with objects from the pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic and modern eras. A ramp leads down to the mummies, displayed in a dim gallery designed to feel like a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The museum overlooks the Ain El-Sira lake, a short ride from Coptic Cairo, the [Hanging Church](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/hanging-church) and the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, so it slots neatly into a day in Old Cairo. > **No photos in the Mummies Hall** The ministry allows personal photography in the museum without flash or tripod, but says nothing specific about the mummies. Several guidebooks report that photography is banned in the hall itself — unofficial, but put your phone away before you go in. It's kept quiet and dark, like a tomb. ## Which royal mummies can you see? - **Ramesses II** — the best-known pharaoh of the New Kingdom, builder of Abu Simbel. - **Hatshepsut** — the woman who ruled as king. - **Seti I** — Ramesses II's father, and one of the best-preserved mummies. - **Thutmose III** — the conqueror under whom Egypt's empire reached its widest. - **Seqenenre Tao** — the 17th-Dynasty ruler who opens the sequence. - **Ahmose-Nefertari** — a queen revered after death as patron of the Theban necropolis. - **Amenhotep III** and **Ramesses III** — Akhenaten's father and the last great New Kingdom king. - Each case has a panel with the ruler's name, reign and what scientists have learned about their health and death. ## What to see in the main hall - Prehistory — stone tools and the first traces of farming on the Nile. - Pharaonic Egypt — statues, coffins and everyday objects, not just royal gold. - Greco-Roman portraits and sculpture — Egypt after Alexander the Great. - Coptic art — textiles, icons and carving from Egypt's early Christians. - The Islamic era — manuscripts, ceramics and Cairo crafts. - The Textile Gallery — about 600 pieces from antiquity to today. - A Fatimid-era dye house, excavated on the museum site itself. ## How to get to NMEC 1. From Tahrir Square, go down to Sadat metro station and take Line 1 towards Helwan. 2. Ride 4 stops to Mar Girgis — about 10 minutes. You're now in Coptic Cairo. 3. The museum is about 2 km away: 5–10 minutes by Uber or Careem, or a 25-minute walk along busy roads. 4. Simplest of all: Uber or Careem straight from Tahrir, 15–25 minutes depending on traffic. Ride-hailing beats street taxis on price and hassle. 5. On the way back, stop at Coptic Cairo by Mar Girgis station — about 2 km from the museum. ## Is NMEC worth visiting? Yes, if you want to see the pharaohs themselves: in Cairo the royal mummies are shown here, not on Tahrir. The Mummies Hall takes about 40 minutes and the main hall another hour. With only one day in Cairo, prioritise the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and save NMEC for day two. The main hall is smaller and plainer than the Tahrir collection — fewer masterpieces, but a clearer story told through crafts and daily life across eras. It works well as an introduction to Egypt and for school-age kids, who tend to find mummies and workshops more gripping than rows of statuettes. ## NMEC vs the Egyptian Museum vs the Grand Egyptian Museum | | NMEC | Egyptian Museum | Grand Egyptian Museum | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Headline | Royal mummies and Egypt's whole story | Narmer Palette, Tanis gold | Tutankhamun's tomb, Ramesses II colossus | | Where | Fustat, Old Cairo | Tahrir Square, downtown | Giza, by the pyramids | | Foreign adult | EGP 550 | EGP 550 | ≈ EGP 1,830 — unofficial | | Buying | Online or at the desk | Online, app or desk | Online only | | Evenings | Friday until 21:00 | No | Wednesday and Saturday until 21:00 | | Time needed | 1.5–2 h | 2–3 h | 3–4 h | Mummies: only here. Tutankhamun: only in Giza. If you have time for one museum, pick by what you most want to see. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] I'll reach the desk by 16:00 — or the Friday evening session - [ ] Card for the ticket, small pounds for taxis and tips - [ ] Student card, if I have one — EGP 300 - [ ] Uber or Careem installed - [ ] Allowed 1.5–2 hours inside - [ ] Phone away in the Mummies Hall ## Cairo's historic sights compared Every historic place in Cairo rated by YesGo. - [Memphis](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · EGP 200, students EGP 100 - [Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 550, students EGP 275 - [Al-Azhar Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/al-azhar-mosque) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Cairo Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/cairo-citadel) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 550 EGP, students 275 EGP - [Giza Pyramids](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/giza-pyramids) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · EGP 700, Great Pyramid inside extra - [Khan el-Khalili](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/khan-el-khalili) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Hanging Church](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/hanging-church) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry - [Grand Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/grand-egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ EGP 1,830, online only - [Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · EGP 600, pyramid interior +280 - [National Museum of Egyptian Civilization](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 550, mummies included ## Old Cairo in a day Coptic Cairo in the morning, the mummies in Fustat, the Citadel at sunset and an evening in the bazaar. 1. [Hanging Church](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/hanging-church) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry 2. [National Museum of Egyptian Civilization](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 550, mummies included 3. [Cairo Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/cairo-citadel) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 550 EGP, students 275 EGP 4. [Khan el-Khalili](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/khan-el-khalili) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free > **Mummies first, main hall second** At opening the Mummies Hall is almost empty — head straight down before the groups arrive, then take your time in the main hall upstairs. ## Good to know The official name is the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC). It is not the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir, nor the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. Twenty-two mummies were moved here, but descriptions of the hall list about twenty on display — eighteen kings and two queens; the line-up can change. ## Tips - Pair the museum with Coptic Cairo and the Hanging Church — about 2 km apart, one short ride. - Spent the day at the [Giza pyramids](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/giza-pyramids)? Come on a Friday evening — the desk sells tickets until 20:00. - The guided ticket costs almost three times the standard one; take it only if you want the story of each pharaoh told live. - Give the main hall 15 minutes before the mummies — the rulers make more sense with context. - The walk from Mar Girgis is noisy and shadeless; in summer take an Uber. ## Questions ### How much is the NMEC ticket? EGP 550 for foreign adults and EGP 300 for foreign students; under-6s are free. The Royal Mummies Hall is included. With a museum guide it's EGP 1,510. ### What are NMEC opening hours? Daily 9:00–17:00, last ticket 16:00, plus 18:00–21:00 on Fridays. During Ramadan, 9:00–16:00. ### Is there a separate ticket for the Royal Mummies Hall? No. The mummies are included in the standard entry ticket. ### Can you take photos of the royal mummies? Unofficially, no — guidebooks report a photo ban in the Mummies Hall. Personal photos without flash are allowed in the rest of the museum. ### How do I get to NMEC from Tahrir Square? Uber or Careem takes 15–25 minutes. By metro, take Line 1 from Sadat to Mar Girgis, then ride or walk about 2 km. ### Where are the royal mummies in Cairo now? At NMEC in Fustat. They were moved from the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square on 3 April 2021. ### Is NMEC the same as the Grand Egyptian Museum? No. NMEC is in Fustat and has the royal mummies; the Grand Egyptian Museum is by the Giza pyramids and has Tutankhamun. ### How long do you need at NMEC? 1.5–2 hours: about 40 minutes for the mummies and an hour for the main hall. Up to three hours with the textiles and dye house. ### Is NMEC worth it if I've seen the Egyptian Museum? Yes — the mummies are no longer on Tahrir, and the main hall covers Egypt after the pharaohs too, which Tahrir doesn't. ## How we checked Prices, hours, the Friday evening session and the guided ticket come from the official museum and ministry sites. Dates and the numbers of mummies and objects are checked against English and Russian Wikipedia. Twenty-two mummies (18 kings, 4 queens) were moved, while descriptions of the hall list about 20 on display — we show both. The Mummies Hall photo ban isn't published officially, so it's marked unofficial. Older prices of EGP 200 and 500 in guidebooks are out of date. ## Sources - Official museum website (nmec.gov.eg) — hours, address, galleries, 03.11.2026 - Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ticketing (egymonuments.com) — prices, concessions, guided ticket, 03.11.2026 - Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (egymonuments.gov.eg) — hours, Ramadan, photography rules, metro - English and Russian Wikipedia: National Museum of Egyptian Civilization; Wikidata Q29017001 - Pyramidsland, iloveegypt.com, Inside Egypt, Travel2Egypt — the Mummies Hall and photo rules --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.