Egypt’s Treasure Guardians

Watch Date: May 5, 2024

Release Date: December 8, 2016

“Egypt is home to many of the most famous archaeological treasures on Earth. But over the last five years, Egypt has suffered a tumultuous revolution and tourist members have plummeted. This programme follows a select cast of individuals, determined to bring Egypt back from the brink: to discover more of Egypt’s history, to keep its heritage safe and to get tourists to visit the country again.”

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   The Grand Egyptian Museum. The G.E.M. Five years behind in 2016 but they were hopeful that it would be opened late May 2018.

   It’s early May 2024 and the G.E.M. is projected to open late this spring. There is no official date. At least not one that I could find.

   So mostly, Bob and I spent our time researching if the guy who was in charge of the G.E.M. had lost his job or not. In some places we saw him referred to as the former general director, other places not. And I cannot read the Egyptian language, modern or ancient, so I can’t really give more information than that.

   What I can tell you is that every time they mentioned how exciting it was going to be for it to open up in two years, oh how we laughed.

   I wouldn’t really call any of these people, besides those working in the restoration lab of the G.E.M. and the man whose stopping people from looting ancient artifacts ‘Egypt’s Treasure Guardians’. There’s a team composed of a couple who are digging up a quarry. There’s a very nice gentleman who’s completing his PhD. There’s a construction worker. There’s a man who is very excited about the G.E.M. but for whom it will not be completed in time.

   I don’t know if I learned much of anything new, to be completely honest, except that it’s kind of fun to make fun of construction delays. If you’re an amateur Egyptologist you will probably enjoy it? But I’m not.