Visitors to the "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, exceed 70,000 in 4 months
Request to extend its run in Tokyo to the end of this year instead of next September
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, chaired a meeting of the board of directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities yesterday evening, during which Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, reviewed the council's achievements across all its sectors during the past month of June.
He explained that the most notable achievements included the announced archaeological discoveries in the Dra Abu el-Naga and El-Assasif areas in Luxor; the implementation status and completion rates of ongoing restoration work at the Pharaonic birth house (mammisi) of Nectanebo at Dendera Temple in Qena, Esna Temple in Luxor, and the minaret and gate of the Al-Ghuri Mosque and Wekalet Qaitbay in Historic Cairo; and architectural survey and digital photography work for a number of tombs on the West Bank in Luxor, in addition to a review of the artifacts recovered from the United States after it was proven that they had left the country illegally.
The meeting also highlighted the temporary archaeological exhibitions currently being held abroad and their visitor numbers, including the "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, whose visitors have exceeded 70,000 in the 4 months since it opened last March, prompting its organizers to request that its run in Tokyo be extended to the end of this year instead of next September.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities stated that the "On the Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt" exhibition in Shanghai, China, has surpassed 2 million visitors since it opened at the end of last July.
The meeting also reviewed the financial position of the Supreme Council of Antiquities during the current fiscal year up to May 2025, compared with the same period of the previous fiscal year, which showed an increase in revenues.
During the meeting, a number of decisions were approved, including continuing to grant a discount on ticket prices for Egyptian and foreign students visiting archaeological sites and museums affiliated with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, with the maximum age for students eligible for the discount set at 24, and with the discount to be applied and approved after it is presented to and approved by the boards of directors of both the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Grand Egyptian Museum in due course. The meeting also approved the signing of two memoranda of understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and, respectively, the Ministry of Culture and Arts of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of antiquities and museums, and the National Centre for Archaeology of the People's Republic of China, in the field of maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage.
The meeting also endorsed the decision of the Foreign Exhibitions Committee approving participation in the exhibition "The Power of Portraits: From Fayoum to Rome" at the Ara Pacis Museum in the Italian capital, Rome, from November 5, 2026, to May 2, 2027, as well as a number of decisions by the permanent committees for Egyptian antiquities and for Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities regarding the work of archaeological missions at a number of archaeological sites across the country, and the registration of a group of artifacts resulting from excavation work.
