Episode 6: The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM): Billion-Dollar Home for Tut’s Treasures

It was the largest temple ever built all in one go – for one god! Yet, with earthquakes, flooding, looting and a thousand natural calamities, all that has remained for centuries are the two famous colossal statues– The Colossi of Memnon – standing like great guardians of the West Bank. Amenhotep III, Egypt’s golden king rich in wealth and alliances, built this great memorial temple to keep his cult alive forever. Now, a great Armenian archaeologist Dr. Hourig Sourouzian is resurrecting this sacred place… and allowing Amenhotep to shine again. Learn about the exciting works afoot to restore the greatness of Kom el Hettan with its the Colossi of Memnon gateway. Francois and Laura will discuss the fascinating history, the legends, and the exciting new finds and accomplishments at this most exciting and active archaeological site.

From its earliest origins in the fort of Babylon… to the tented town of Fustat…through the rise of Al Qahirah, sacred city of the Fatimids, Salah al Din and the Crusades… all the way to the Arab Spring of 2011, Cairo’s history is as vibrant and dizzying as its colourful and crowded streets today. Come learn some of the little-known stories about its citadel, mosques, qasbahs, fountains, markets, colourful sultans and emirs… and its utterly fascinating history from medieval to modern times. Laura and Francois will unravel the tangled wonder of this intoxicating ancient city.

From its earliest origins in the fort of Babylon… to the tented town of Fustat…through the rise of Al Qahirah, sacred city of the Fatimids, Salah al Din and the Crusades… all the way to the Arab Spring of 2011, Cairo’s history is as vibrant and dizzying as its colourful and crowded streets today. Come learn some of the little-known stories about its citadel, mosques, qasbahs, fountains, markets, colourful sultans and emirs… and its utterly fascinating history from medieval to modern times. Laura and Francois will unravel the tangled wonder of this intoxicating ancient city.

Ahhh… Philae Temple, the last surviving temple of Egypt – and the domain of Isis, goddess of love and beauty. In this week’s episode, Laura and Francois will delve into the fascinating cult of Isis, the beloved and its intersection with Christianity, the interesting history of the temple, its beautiful location on an island in Upper Egypt – and how it was moved in its entirety in an incredible engineering project during the 1970s to save it after the construction of the Aswan Dam. Philae is a Greco-Roman era temple – the last pagan worship centre to survive all the way to the 6 the century CE with many interesting secrets and vestiges of the very last hieroglyphic writing. Don’t miss the tale of this magical place!

Zahi Hawass calls it the greatest cultural project of the 21st century. It’s the largest archaeological museum in the world that stands at the foot of the Giza Pyramids. Recorded just prior to its opening, Laura and Francois discuss its incredible 20-year construction history, its massive Ramses statue, stairway of kings, hanging obelisk, and 4600 wooden boats of the king! Let’s delve into what to expect in this record-breaking world museum where all of Tutankhamun’s objects have been carefully restored and will be displayed in a breathtaking walk through his brief life and celebrated death. What a magnificent afterlife this museum presents for the boy king!

Arguably, the most beautiful temple in Egypt, the Hathor temple at Denderah is a Ptolemaic masterpiece. In this riveting episode, Francois and Laura discuss it’s very ancient origins, its magnificent Hypostyle hall of Hathoric columns built by the Romans, its zodiac, rooftop, crypts – and many untold secrets. Egyptian Egyptologist Hossam Ragab weighs in too on work afoot at this temple … where Cleopatra and Caesar may have honeymooned on their trip up the Nile!

Egypt’s first pyramid – and the world’s first building in stone: the Saqqara Step Pyramid. An amazing site to visit today – all the scaffolding gone and with entrance possible through the tunnels of the substructure. In this episode, Laura and Francois chat about this revolutionary structure, its architect, king, massive surrounding complex – and reveal just some of its secrets!

The beautiful neoclassical pink building near Cairo’s Tahrir square has been home to Egypt’s most treasured artifacts for more than a century. Thousands and thousands of them! So much so that it has been called an antiquities warehouse. Objects crammed into corners. Yellowing display cards. But it is all changing now. Join Laura and Francois to discuss the wonders of this stunning old museum, its future beyond the opening of new museums,  and how it is being transformed into a museum of masterpieces.

In this week’s episode, Francois and Laura continue their chat on the Giza plateau looking at Khafre’s Pyramid and the famous Sphinx. Khafre’s pyramid – the second biggest in the world – is notable not just for its size and grandeur but the marvel of its other structures – a well-preserved mortuary temple, causeway – and a Valley Temple with stones of enormous size. Then of course there is the Sphinx. Who built this monstrosity – was it Khafre? What is the symbolism behind it? And how did it lose its nose? Francois and Laura will delve into the many confounding mysteries as they look at the Egypt’s Great Sphinx.

In this week’s episode, Francois and Laura continue their discussion on the Giza plateau delving into discoveries over recent decades: Merer’s papyrus (oldest ever found), an ancient journal of the shipman that brough stones to the Great Pyramid, the village of the pyramid builders… and what archaeologists are seeking today in the area of the Giza Plateau.