(BSS/AFP) - After years of delays, Cairo is finally set to open the Grand Egyptian Museum on Saturday -- a long-awaited, billion-dollar showcase of pharaonic grandeur that Egypt hopes will help revive tourism and boost its troubled economy.

Seventy-nine delegations, including 39 heads of state and government, are expected at the ceremony, which begins at 7:30 pm local time (1730 GMT).

Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Spain and Denmark will be among those sending representatives, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

In the nights leading up to the opening, shafts of light have illuminated both the pyramids and the museum`s colossal facade -- a prelude to Saturday`s spectacle.

Set on a gentle slope overlooking the Giza Plateau, just beyond the shadow of the pyramids, the museum was built with major financial and technical support from Japan, and spreads across nearly half a million square metres.

It houses more than 100,000 artefacts, half of which will be on display, making it the world`s largest collection devoted to a single civilisation, according to Egyptian officials.

Inside, visitors will enter vast, light-filled halls with soaring ceilings and sand-coloured stone walls that echo the surrounding desert.

At the centre of the main atrium stands an 83-tonne statue of Ramses II, the pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 66 years and presided over its golden age.

Unlike the cramped, century-old Egyptian Museum in central Cairo, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) features immersive galleries, precision lighting, virtual-reality exhibits and even a children`s museum.

One highlight is a live conservation lab, visible through floor-to-ceiling glass, where visitors can watch restorers assembling a 4,500-year-old solar boat buried near Khufu`s pyramid, built to carry his soul across the sky with the sun god Ra.

The undisputed star of the show, however, is King Tutankhamun`s collection of more than 5,000 objects, many displayed together for the first time.

Details of the boy pharaoh`s gold mask display remain under wraps.

The museum opens to the public on Tuesday, showcasing thousands of funerary artefacts previously scattered across Egypt.

- Setbacks -

More than two decades in the making, the GEM faced multiple hurdles, including political unrest, regional conflicts and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Observers caution that its long-term success depends on stable tourism and strong supporting infrastructure.

Egyptian archeologist Hussein Bassir said the museum`s future hinges on "regular maintenance to preserve the building and its treasures".

"If the current momentum is not maintained, the museum could quickly lose its appeal and visitor numbers could drop," he told AFP.

Egypt`s tourism sector, a vital source of foreign currency and jobs, has been repeatedly shaken over the past decade and a half, from the 2011 uprising to waves of unrest and sporadic terrorist attacks in the aftermath.

Elhamy al-Zayat, former head of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, told AFP the museum was part of a broader plan to transform the entire Giza Plateau.

"Egypt has created an entirely new cultural and tourist zone" at the plateau, with a nearby airport and upgraded visitor facilities at the pyramids, he said.

Roads leading to the plateau have been refurbished, digital ticketing introduced and air-conditioned electric buses now glide past the pyramids.

In recent years, tourism has shown signs of recovery, with 15 million visitors travelling to Egypt in the first nine months of 2025 and generating $12.5 billion, up 21 percent from a year earlier.

Officials believe the GEM alone could draw up to seven million visitors annually, potentially bringing total visitor numbers to 30 million by 2030.

Yet some observers are cautious, saying regional instability, including the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, as well as economic pressures, threaten to challenge the museum`s potential to deliver a major boost for Egypt`s tourism sector.