More than two decades in the making and, finally, one of the world's largest and most anticipated museums has opened its doors.
International delegations, including presidents and royalty, descended on Cairo for the spectacular inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called it "a new chapter for the ancient nation".
Sprawling beside the pyramids of Giza, it is the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization.
It houses tens of thousands of artifacts, many displayed for the first time: from towering pharaoh statues to mummies, papyrus scrolls, and everyday relics.
A main draw of the museum will be the contents of the intact tomb of Tutankhamun, displayed together for the first time since it was unearthed by British Egyptologist Howard Carter.
The vast complex was meant to open in 2012, but the launch was repeatedly pushed back due to political and economic turmoil, including the Arab spring revolution in 2011, followed by the coronavirus pandemic.
For the architects behind the project, receiving the call 22 years ago was unbelievable.
Heneghan Peng Architects were the ones selected in "the largest architectural competition for a complete building" with more than 1,500 entries.
The company, founded in New York by Shih-Fu Peng and Roisin Heneghan from Co Mayo, currently has offices in Dublin and Berlin.
Watch: Irish architect behind Egyptian Museum 'very excited'
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Welcoming RTÉ News into her family home in Dublin on the day of the grand opening, Ms Heneghan said it is "amazing" to see "a sketch from something 20 years ago" coming to life.
The competition was anonymous which meant that the size or the fame of the firm did not play any role in the selection. Only the project was judged.
Ms Heneghan said the success of the design stems from its respect for its ancient neighbours - the pyramids.
"We didn't want to interrupt the profile as you're coming out of Cairo and seeing the pyramids against the desert. So, we stayed low," she said.
The architects gave the museum "a very prominent aspect in the horizontal" and designed the permanent galleries from which the pyramids can be seen.
"That way, the pyramids became the largest piece in the collection," she said.
The designers also opened the museum to lots of natural light, Ms Heneghan noted, as the largely stone-made Pharaonic collection is capable of withstanding that kind of exposure.
In a humble and diplomatic response as to why the architects behind the project were not attending the ceremony in Cairo, Ms Heneghan said "it's a political opening" and "a big thing for Egypt".
With many world leaders invited, she noted, it is a "chance" for the country to attract attention.
Ms Heneghan said she hopes to show the museum to her two daughters one day.
