Cairo and Giza: a 9-hour layover
With a 6-hour layover you can’t do much if you have to be back at the airport 3 hours before an international flight, but when a 6-hour layover gets extended to 9 hours by a delayed flight, it is enough time to get some sightseeing in. I’ve done the Cairo Museum and most of the sites in and around Cairo before, but I hadn’t been to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) since it opened in November last year (2025). This layover gap was enough time for me to hire a driver [1] to get me to Giza and back, with a couple of hours to have a brisk walk through (part of) this amazing museum.
I had to pick what I was going to see in that short window so my priorities were the Khufu boat exhibit, and the Late period and Hellenistic galleries (with a quick view of the Tutankhamun gallery). It wasn’t nearly enough time, but it was a very delicious taste…
This museum is truly incredible! I kept smiling the entire time as I remembered all of our discussions back when the museum was still under construction.[2] Seeing it complete was truly amazing. A flight delay became a real blessing!
Colossal statue of Ramesses II, 19th Dynasty, discovered at Mit Rahina in 1820, now in the entrance hall at the GEM.
(The spectacular) boat of Khufu, c. 2500 BC
Please don’t misunderstand me, 2 hours is simply not enough - for me 2 days would not be enough - but you can still see some amazing pieces in 2 hours.
Apologies to my colleagues at the museum, I didn’t have time to meet this visit. Let’s get together soon!
There was just enough time to stop at the famous Koshary Abou Tarek for a quick bite before heading back to the airport. We pulled up and parked by this wonderful stack of new, red bricks. They could be used to make a house, or repair an aging courtyard. They beckoned like contemporary art, each signed with the care and responsibility of the maker.
Crimson Potential
A stack of red bricks
Implies opportunity
Each signed with new hope
Signed bricks
The koshary was as good as I remembered from my first visit here years ago!
Researchers and archaeologists - please ask if you looking for photos (for use with credit), I have many more than what is shown here.
[1] Thanks to my driver Abdul Rahman, who got me safely from the airport to the GEM and back!
