Cairo is set to open the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum that Egypt hopes will celebrate the nation’s heritage and also revitalise its struggling economy and tourism sector.

According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, world leaders – including monarchs, and heads of state and government – were expected to attend the grand opening ceremony in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday.

It described the museum opening as “an exceptional event in the history of human culture and civilisation”.

Massive statues and historical artefacts from the country’s ancient civilisation will be on display across the 24,000 square metres (258,000 square feet) of permanent exhibition space. Two decades in the making, the museum is located near the Giza Pyramids on the edge of Cairo.

Preside

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