Almost two years now on Google Maps, it’s really sweet to recall how this long journey started one day back in July 2017 when I just wanted to have some fun on my day off. I visited a museum and fell in love with it. I wrote a review about it which I later shared both on Google Maps and Instagram as a way to spread the word. A lot of my friends didn’t now anything about it and were totally blown away by the pictures and even some of them planned to give it a visit soon.
While this first museum visit was really enjoyable, it also unlocked my passion for history that I haven’t really fed for quite a long time. So I took an initiate to visit one new museum every Thursday then come back and write a review about it to encourage people to go and see it as well.
By the time I did that, I had no idea how things would turn out if I continued. I only followed my passion for history but it later ignited another passion for exploring. So in total now, I visited 23 museums, 3 palaces, 5 temples, 2 botanical gardens, 3 public parks, 3 citadels, a tower, 2 dams, 3 Nile islands, a desert and 5 cities other than Cairo!
It’s incredible what exploring all these places has taught me about my country and life in general. Every visit was an adventure that inspired some action after it. Whether it was googling some information a little more, posting an article and pictures about it, or talking to people about how amazing these places are, this initiate changed a big part of who I was and I how I saw the world. And that’s what I wanted to pass on to other people.
Through my visits to the different museums, I have realized some things. 20 out of the 23 museums I visited have been restored and reopened recently and they’re now are in a perfect condition. The themes of the museums are very distinctive and vary from Pharaonic history, Roman, Coptic, or Islamic, Geology, Paleontology, Zoology, Music, Art, Police, Military, Armed Forces and many many different sub-themes that will definitely match everyone’s taste.
Many museums are open on weekends as well as weekdays. Some are open until 5:00 pm and others offer night visits as well. Most museums have guides to help explain the exhibits to you and the staff is usually very welcoming and friendly. The most expensive entry ticket is 20 EGP and the least is 2 EGP and some museums provide free entry.
Yet, only a very few number of people could be seen and sometimes it was only me in the museum that I was mostly asked “are you hear for a research?!”
The problem is, a large number of these museums have received very poor recognition when they were announced open and usually receive very very poor promotion from the media. When Cairo residents, visitors, and tourists attempt to visit museums, they only go to the most popular ones on top of which is the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square which they might have already visited before! Many people have no idea about the other museums especially the nearby ones. For instance, hundreds of people visit the Zoo every day yet 90% of them are unaware of the terrific Zoological Museum that’s located inside of it and has thousands of mummified birds and animals.
While this admittedly is a very sad fact, I have decided to change it in what I love to see as my mission as a passionate local guide. I have decided to make museums particularly in Cairo and generally in Egypt accessible for everyone by enriching Google Maps with everything I can get about them.
So mainly, I love writing (very) detailed reviews about the museums I visit. I mention parts about the history and construction of it, what theme it is about, and how distinctive it is. I also mention information about the number of the exhibits, their historic value, their condition, and how they’re usually displayed. Then I mention some details about how to get to the museum in terms of its location, how far or near it is from popular places in Cairo and the transportation to it. I also add their working days and hours, the entry fees and whether or not photography is for free.
To help people more, I add pictures of the museum to give people a glimpse of what they’re gonna see and help them decide if the museum is worth a visit. I also love to answer questions about the different museums and add the ones that don’t exist on Maps, and edit those that have incorrect or inaccurate information. Recently, I have started adding lists with different museum categories to help people even more.
I am trying to bring Egyptian museums back to life by creating genuine and solid content about them on Google Maps. Thankfully, my reviews and photos are receiving good recognition and helping people have better exploring experiences that will hopefully positively influence their lives.