Supreme Council of Antiquities: The exhibition has generated US$15 million since 2021.
Zahi Hawass describes the show as Egypt’s greatest gift to Japan.
Council Secretary-General Mohamed Ismail visited Tokyo to inspect Crevia Bas, the venue for the sixth stop of “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” scheduled from March to September 2025 after its Cologne run ended earlier this month.
He checked final preparations, display cases, lighting, security and protection systems to ensure safe presentation.
A press conference attracted around 200 representatives of major Japanese media. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike expressed delight at hosting the exhibition and expected strong interest from across Japan given enthusiasm for ancient Egyptian civilization.
Ismail outlined the ministry and council’s role in preserving heritage through excavation, restoration and maintenance and emphasized overseas exhibitions’ contribution to cultural tourism promotion.
He highlighted Shanghai’s “On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt,” which has attracted approximately 1.3 million visitors, the “And What Lies Between” exhibition in Saudi Arabia and a temporary exhibition planned for Italy midyear.
He said the Ramses exhibition has generated US$15 million since opening in Houston in 2021, approximately US$5 million annually.
He invited Japanese visitors to explore artifacts from the era of Ramses II, one of Egypt’s greatest and longest-reigning kings, noting that his statue welcomes Grand Egyptian Museum visitors just as the king will welcome Tokyo exhibition visitors.
Hawass called the exhibition Egypt’s greatest gift to Japan and discussed Saqqara and Luxor discoveries and the Grand Egyptian Museum’s expected summer opening.
The show includes 180 objects from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Ramses II’s coffin from the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Bubasteion finds from Saqqara and objects from other Egyptian museums. Statues, jewelry, cosmetics equipment, stelae, relief blocks and painted wooden coffins illustrate civilization from the Middle Kingdom to the Late Period.
The tour began in Houston in November 2021, followed by San Francisco in August 2022, Paris in April 2023, Sydney in November 2023 and Cologne in July 2024.
