Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum is the Middle East's oldest archaeological museum, and it includes the world's greatest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. The museum houses a large collection of artifacts dating from the Predynastic Period to the Greco-Roman Period.

The building's architect was chosen through a first-of-its-kind international competition in 1895, which was won by French architect Marcel Dourgnon. Khedive Abbas Helmy II opened the museum in 1902, and it has since become a historic icon in downtown Cairo, housing some of the world's most stunning ancient treasures. It's a muddled mess, with little labeling and no chronological order, but that's part of its old-school charm. The trove of golden jewels uncovered at Tutankhamen's tomb in the Valley of the Kings and the fascinating Royal Mummies exhibit room is the museum's two highlight collections. Every step you take here exposes a stunning piece of antique art or statues that would be the focus of any museum.