Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany on Saturday reopened the Tanta Museum following the completion of renovations, after a 19-year closure.
Anany apologized to the citizens of Gharbiya governorate for the long length of the museum’s closure, and expressed delight at its return.
He stressed that the museum is of great importance and is one of the oldest regional museums, dating back to 1913 and closed in 2000.
The projects sector of the Antiquities Ministry put great priority to reopening, he said, adding that the museum’s cost of renovations did not exceed LE13 million.
The minister pointed out that the museum, although small, contains more than 2,000 antiquities, half of which are small pieces while the other half were discovered in the Gharbiya and Delta governorates.
He stressed that the museum is not only Pharaonic but includes Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic antiquities.
Gharbiya is very rich in archaeological areas, Anany pointed out, such as the Samannoud archeological area known as the birthplace of the 30th dynasty, Egypt’s largest temple built with granite, and the Ali beik Alkabeer Avenue which is currently undergoing renovations and will be opened to the public eventually.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
