I was in cairo last week and took the opportunity to go to the famous Egyptian Museum. when I did the pyramids a few years ago it wasn’t an experience I was keen to repeat. The effort involved in getting there and coping with the people trying to fleece you really spoilt the day. Seeing how the pyramids are being exploited was also quite sad. What should have been a fantastic experience became one I’d advise people to do, but only once. I had hoped that the museum would be different, but I was to be disappointed once again.

The place was filled with some amazing artefacts, but finding them amongst the large number exhibited wasn’t easy. The explanations weren’t always clear and certainly not enlightening in the way that museums now try to provide. Many areas were dusty and poorly lit. It’s an enormous old building that has a lot of potential and it’s a real shame to see how the museum has been left to fade away. It was hard to see that any work was being done to improve matters, but the subject matter and the artefacts on display deserve so much better.