(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 20 - Turin's world-famous Egyptian Museum marked its bicentenary Wednesday with a ceremony attended by its chair, Evelina Christillin, Head of State Sergio Mattarella, Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli and the Egyptian Minister for Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy.
"There are close ties between Italy and Egypt, expressed in two centuries of history, archaeology, art, music, linguistics, architecture, science and anthropology," Christillin said.
She spoke of a "great and fruitful collaboration" between the two countries: "we are certain," she said, "that culture and shared projects can constitute, beyond any circumstance, a bridge to the future."
The Museo Egizio or Egyptian Museum is an archaeological museum in Turin specializing in Egyptian archaeology and anthropology.
It houses one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities in the world, with more than 30,000 artifacts, and is considered the second most important Egyptological collection in the world, after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo.
In 2019, it received 853,320 visitors, making it one of the most visited museums in Italy.
photo: Christillin and Giuli
(ANSA).