F rom a noisy, performative and unapologetically non-European Yorùbá cultural centre in Lagos, Nigeria, to the much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum in

Pharaohs, masks and bronze age boats: six standout new museums around the world in 2025

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2024-12-30 15:00:08

F rom a noisy, performative and unapologetically non-European Yorùbá cultural centre in Lagos, Nigeria, to the much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, 2024 was a big year for museums opening in the developing world. A number of projects will also be inaugurated in 2025, offering an abundance of new museums to visit in 2025. Here are some of the best of them:

The much-delayed project, which will be the world’s largest archaeological museum and has already cost more than $1bn (£800m), has yet to open fully but visitors have been getting a chance to experience its main galleries during a limited opening as a trial run.

They are greeted by a colossal red granite statue of Ramses II, from 1279-1213BC. The statue became a familiar object in Egypt after it was erected in one of Cairo’s busiest squares in 1955 and remained there for 50 years, exposed to traffic pollution and tremors from nearby passing trains.

The museum’s interior and exterior design are heavily influenced by the pyramids of Giza, which can be seen from the top of the grand six-storey staircase. The 12 main galleries showcase royal statues, sphinxes, sarcophagi, obelisks and granite columns. The galleries cover a vast period, spanning from prehistoric times to the Roman era, with the coffin of Khnum-Nakht and kneeling statue of Queen Hatshepsut among the highlights.