The long-awaited inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) dominated the airwaves last night, with the nation’s talking heads offering wall-to-wall coverage, live commentary, and interviews with officials, archaeologists, artists, and cultural figures.

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“It was glorious… worthy of Egypt’s greatness,” El Sora’s Lamees El Hadidi said, describing the opening ceremony (watch, runtime: 4:02). El Hadidi praised the performances, stage direction, and musical segments, adding that audience members were left in awe by the scale and spectacle of the event.

“The ceremony was magnificent,” said Ala Masouleety’s Ahmed Moussa, adding that “it left the whole world dazzled,” as mns across Egypt and abroad tuned in to the live broadcast (watch, runtime: 1:08).

A call for more efforts on the tourism front: El Hekaya’s Amr Adib stressed (watch, runtime:25:12) that the GEM opening should be treated as “just the beginning,” and urged the government to double down on tourism promotion efforts in the wake of the high-profile event.

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