This dusty museum which has retained a certain charm was founded by the French Egyptologist François Mariette in the 19C. Its thousands of exhibits are part of a superb collection displayed in over 50 rooms: statues of kings and queens (Hatshepsut, Amenhotep IV) and deities (Taweret); the sarcophagus of Rameses II; and jewellery from the royal tombs at Tanis. Part of the collection, including the extraordinary treasures of Tutankhamun, is currently being moved to the soon-to-be-open Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza.