The Grand Egyptian Museum has finally opened some of its galleries to the public, as part of a trial run ahead of the still-unannounced official opening. The museum, a mega-project near the Giza Pyramids, which has cost well over $1 billion so far, has opened 12 halls featuring ancient Egyptian exhibits. Up to 4,000 people have been able to visit each day since the middle of October. The museum has been under construction for more than a decade, but the official opening has been delayed for various reasons, including the coronavirus pandemic and political problems. The idea, which was first announced in the early 1990s, was to collect ancient artifacts from around the country in one place. The government wanted the new museum to be outside of Cairo, the busy capital city, to make it easier to get to. Some sections have been open since 2022 for limited tours, to test the visitor experience and the museum's preparedness. More than 100,000 of Egypt's ancient treasures will be displayed in the world's largest archaeological museum, according to the Egyptian state information website. The grand staircase — six stories high and with a view of the pyramids — and the commercial area are open to the public, showcasing monuments and artifacts that include sarcophagi and statues. Other parts of the museum, including the King Tutankhamun treasure collection, are set to open at later dates. All halls are equipped with advanced technology and feature multimedia presentations to explain the lives of the ancient Egyptians, including its kings, according to Eissa Zidan from the museum. One of the halls will use virtual reality to explain the history of burial and its development throughout ancient Egypt. Some of the first tourists to visit said they were impressed by the museum, which Zidan called "a gift to all the world." He said: "The museum is not only a place to display antiquities, but it also aims to attract children to learn about ancient Egyptian history."