The earlier opening planned on July 2 was postponed due to regional tensions involving Israel and Iran.

The nation’s president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, signed off on the new debut date for the GEM, which sits just a mile from Giza’s pyramids. Government officials are starting to prepare for the event, according to the publication.

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly called the opening “an exceptional event” in a cabinet meeting, Barrons reported.

The project has faced multiple delays over the years, attributed to political unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic.

About two decades ago, the Egyptian government held an international competition to select the architectural firm that would design the museum. The contract was awarded to Dublin-based Heneghan Peng Architects, which designed the 120-acre facility to display a wide range of ancient objects.

The GEM will house around 100,000 artifacts, one of which will be the famed tomb of King Tutankhamun; the entire collection of Tut’s tomb will be on display for the first time since its discovery back in 1922.

You can even spot a massive 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II right at the locale’s entrance. The museum will also be home to an exhibition space, a library, a children’s museum, and an education center.

“This will be the museum of the 21st century,” director general Tarek Tawfik told CNN back in 2019. “All means of modern technology have been taken into consideration in order to make this an unforgettable experience for the visitor, but at the same time provide the best possible environment for the artifacts.”

The GEM is expected to draw in 5 million annual visitors to the region. Even before the opening, though, Egypt is expected to see a record 18 million tourists this year, according to Bloomberg.

The nation also doled out $30 million to upgrade vacationers’ experience around the Giza pyramids.