The Egyptian Galleries at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge re-opened this week with stunning new contemporary displays, after a 2-year closure. A week of Egypt events runs until June 2 to celebrate.

During this period over 1,100 objects were conserved, researched and represented at a cost of £1.5 million. Many of these objects are now on show for the first time.

The Egyptian galleries are amongst the most popular in the Museum, visited regularly by schools and many of the Fitzwilliam’s 300,000 visitors each year.

Museum Director Duncan Robinson said: “We are delighted that the latest stage in our ongoing programme of gallery improvements has reached a successful conclusion and that the Museum is now able to offer visitors an enhanced experience of one of the most popular areas of its collections.”

Visitors can experience the history of Ancient Egypt: the splendour of the Pharaoh’s court and the pursuits of his subjects, many aspects of daily life and religious beliefs, superstition and burial practices. There are also thematic displays on the king and his people, Egyptian religion and magic, writing, carving and drawing, dress and adornment, and other aspects of daily life.

In an inner gallery, dimly lit to evoke the atmosphere of an ancient Egyptian tomb, burial practices from the pre-dynastic period to Coptic and Islamic Egypt are explored though magnificent displays of coffins, mummies and objects associated with funerary ritual.

From 27 May to 2 June, a special programme of Egyptian events for all ages brings to life many aspects of the new displays through talks, trails and gallery tours, workshops, storytelling and drop-in sessions. This coincides with Museums and Galleries Month 2006, and starts with an Egyptian Galleries Open Day on Saturday 27 May. Mummy-wrapping and cartonnage-making are just two of the planned events, offering adults and children a chance to experience these fascinating ancient processes at first hand. Full details are on the museum's website.

In-depth research on many Ancient Egyptian objects has taken place. The museum’s human and animal mummies were CT-scanned at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, to study their contents and condition; the intriguing results will be revealed later this year.

The work has been funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund, The DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Getty Foundation, The Isaac Newton Trust, Renaissance, The Trust House Charitable Foundation, The Aurelius Charitable Trust and other corporate and private donors.

The Fitzwilliam Museum is on Trumpington Street and open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sundays and bank holidays 12pm to 5pm.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.