Gayer-Anderson Museum Cairo: tickets, opening hours and rules

The Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo is open every day of the week, Saturday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm, and the ticket window closes at 4pm. Egyptians pay EGP 10 for an adult and EGP 5 for a student; foreign visitors pay EGP 100 for an adult and EGP 50 for a student, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Ticket prices

For Egyptians, an adult ticket costs EGP 10 and a student ticket EGP 5. For foreign visitors, an adult ticket costs EGP 100 and a student ticket EGP 50. The ministry's page does not publish separate prices for foreign residents or for children over six.

Who gets in free

The ministry lists five groups who enter free: Egyptians aged 60 and over, Egyptians with special needs, orphaned children, children under six, and trips from government and Al-Azhar primary and preparatory schools, booked in advance through the Rehla platform.

Opening hours

The museum opens from 9am to 5pm every day, including Friday, and the last tickets are sold at 4pm. In Ramadan the hours change to 9am to 3pm, with the ticket window closing at 2pm.

What the museum is

The museum is two houses from the Ottoman period joined together. The first was built by the scholar Abd al-Qadir al-Haddad in 947 AH, 1545 AD, and was later owned by Amina bint Salem. The second belonged to Hajj Muhammad ibn Salem ibn Jilmam al-Jazar in 1041 AH, 1631 AD; it passed through several families until a woman from Crete owned it, which is why it is known as Bayt al-Kritliyya, the House of the Cretan Woman.

Its name comes from Gayer-Anderson Pasha, an English officer who studied medicine in London, became a doctor in the British army in 1904 and was posted to Egypt in 1907. In 1935 he asked the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Antiquities to let him live in the two houses, furnish them in an Islamic Arab style and fill them with his collection of Pharaonic, Islamic and Asian antiquities, on condition that everything would belong to the Egyptian people once he left Egypt for good. The committee agreed. He left the house in 1942, and the houses and their contents became the Gayer-Anderson Museum.

Photos and filming

Personal photography is allowed once you have paid for your ticket, but not with flash, and the ministry asks visitors not to photograph other visitors or staff. Filming or photography for commercial use (television, cinema, adverts, documentaries) needs permission from the authority in charge and a daily fee.

What you cannot bring in

Large bags, large backpacks, luggage and parcels bigger than 40 by 40 cm go to the cloakroom, and so do umbrellas and any sharp or dangerous item. Pets and musical instruments are not allowed. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries, apart from small bottles of water. Smoking is banned throughout the museum, and so are audio players, flashlights and laser pointers. Do not touch the exhibits or showcases, and keep your phone calls quiet. Children must stay with an adult at all times. Art students who want to sketch may use pencils only, with sketchbooks no bigger than 18 by 24 inches.

Before you go

The ministry's page offers a free virtual tour of the house, which is a good way to see the rooms before a visit. The museum has a gift shop and sign language services. The page places the museum in Cairo but does not publish a street address or phone number, so check the map in your phone app before you set off.

Common questions

Is it open on Friday? Yes, from 9am to 5pm like every other day.

Do children pay? Children under six go in free. The page gives no separate child price above that age.

Can I take photos on my phone? Yes, without flash, once you have your ticket.