After two decades of planning, the GEM is set to open fully on July 3, following a partial opening in October.
Ahmed Ghoneim, the museum's director, said the inauguration could span several days, with celebrations extending beyond the museum and pyramids to sites across Egypt and even abroad.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has invited US President Donald Trump and Spain's King Felipe VI to attend the ceremony.
Spanning 50 hectares (120 acres), the GEM is twice the size of both Paris's Louvre and New York's Metropolitan, and two and a half times the British Museum, according to its director.
“The landscape of Egypt contributed to this rich civilisation and we wanted to reflect that in the design,“ said Roisin Heneghan, co-founder of Dublin-based Heneghan Peng Architects -- the firm behind the museum’s design.
An 11-metre (36-foot) statue of Ramses II greets visitors, leading to a grand staircase lined with statues of pharaohs, gods and sarcophagi, and ending at a window framing the pyramids.
They include Queen Hetepheres's treasures, such as her intricately carved armchair, in sophisticated lighting after years of being tucked away in the old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
“I cannot get over how the lighting is. It is just atmospheric and helpful, and you end up just drawn to everything that is around,“ said Philippa Hunt, a tourist from the United Kingdom.
“This is much better organised, much better lit. The architecture is impressive,“ he told AFP.
Boost for the economy
The GEM will also showcase the 44-metre-long cedarwood solar barque, buried near the Great Pyramid around 2,500 BC.
With cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality and interactive exhibits, the GEM promises a fresh take on storytelling, making history come alive for younger generations.
Beyond archaeology, the GEM is central to Egypt's efforts to revive an economy battered by inflation and debt.
Elhamy al-Zayat, former chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, said the museum's proximity to the newly opened Sphinx International Airport, the pyramids and a growing number of nearby hotels will be a game-changer for Egypt's tourism sector.
“This will definitely transform Egypt's tourism industry.”
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