A viral video of rainwater pooling beneath the statue of Ramses II inside the Grand Egyptian Museum’s atrium has stirred public outrage. However, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities dismissed the incident as a planned feature of the museum’s design.
In a statement issued Saturday, the ministry described the water seepage as “limited” and anticipated, citing architectural openings in the ceiling designed to allow natural light and ventilation—features it claimed are central to the building’s “sustainability vision.”
CNN Arabic, in a separate investigation, conducted a reverse image search and determined that the video was not recent—it first surfaced in April 2023, months before the museum’s official launch. This timeline discrepancy was not acknowledged in the government’s statement.
The footage, circulated widely under the hashtag #RamsesIsDrowning, showed water leaking through the roof and collecting around the monument. Online users speculated whether the flooding was due to seasonal rainfall in Giza or a structural flaw. The ministry insisted it was the former and that it recurs annually by design.
Despite the video’s virality, officials emphasized that the museum remains open, reporting an average of 15,000 visitors per day. Since early December, however, entry has been limited to online reservations, with on-site ticket sales suspended. The ministry claimed the move was aimed at crowd control and preserving the museum’s archaeological holdings.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated the Grand Egyptian Museum on Nov. 1, with 79 international delegations in attendance. It opened to the public three days later on Nov. 4, cementing its status as Egypt’s flagship cultural landmark. The site houses over 100,000 artifacts, spanning prehistory through the Ptolemaic era.
