Professor Mladen Tomorad Discusses the Grand Egyptian Museum on RTL

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History classes at the Faculty of Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb began during the 1997/1998 academic year. Currently, the Department of History offers classes at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate (doctoral) levels of study.

History studies at our faculty are organized according to the contemporary scientific and didactic standards. Over the course of the past academic years, our program undeqent a transition in order to adapt its own study program to students who whish to learn more about national history. The fundamental feature of our program is the strong connection with other national historical institutions (museums, Croatian Institute of History, etc.). This fact allows students to start modeling their own research interest in the areas of national history that interest them already during their undergraduate studies. At the graduate level, students are provided with thematic specialization through a large number of non-mandatory courses.

Although our program emphasizes Croatian history, it also includes the posibilitiy of profiling in various areas of world history: from ancient civilizations and societies to modern and contemporary history. This kind of profiling is open to students due to the wide topics of courses that are adapted to the various interests of students.

The Head of the Department of History, Professor Mladen Tomorad, spoke on RTL Danas about the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on 1 November 2025.

The scale of this monumental project is illustrated by the fact that its construction began twenty years ago. GEM was first announced back in 2002 as a spectacular complex intended to house the most important ancient Egyptian antiquities, which had previously been dispersed among numerous museum institutions throughout Egypt. The Giza Plateau, near the great Egyptian pyramids, was selected as the site for its construction.

In 2003, a modern architectural concept by the Irish firm Heneghan was selected, and efforts began to raise the necessary funds for construction from around the world. Unfortunately, the many years of construction were caused by numerous unforeseen difficulties. The Arab Spring, which began in Egypt at the end of January 2011, destabilised the country’s most important source of income — tourism. By the end of 2010, the number of tourists visiting ancient Egyptian monuments and museums had reached 15 million. The unstable political situation throughout the Middle East reduced that number to 3.5 million by 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 led to a further significant decline.

Over the past five years, the museum’s main buildings have been completed and the transfer of antiquities to the museum has begun. Numerous mummies of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, treasures discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb, and many significant museum objects from all parts of Egypt have been transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the new building.

It has been announced that, following its opening, visitors will be able to see nearly 100,000 ancient Egyptian artefacts in the museum’s numerous galleries, spanning the period from prehistory to the mid-seventh century, when Egypt was conquered by the Arabs. Following its official opening, GEM is expected to become an essential tourist destination for anyone visiting Cairo and its surrounding area.

You can watch the feature here.