Eight Museums in One: An Exceptional Visit to the Egyptian Agricultural Museum

On a luminous August morning in Cairo, the city still hushed by the heat, two members of the Egypt Wikimedians User Group set out on a journey that was more than a simple museum visit. It was a quest woven from curiosity, memory, and the quiet determination to preserve what might otherwise be forgotten. The Egyptian Agricultural Museum—an immense treasure house of history, silent for years behind closed doors—was preparing to reopen. For us, this was not merely an outing; it was an unmissable chance to breathe life into a neglected story, to capture through words and images a monument absent from the digital record. What awaited was less a stroll through galleries than a mission to bridge the gap between past and present.

The Spark of Motivation

Last month, the Group had concluded the “Afro Creatives WikiProject + film” at the Greek Campus, Downtown, Cairo. In its wake, conversations about upcoming initiatives filled the air. One event in particular—Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos (Egypt 2025)—highlighted how many articles about Egypt lacked visual representation. At the same time, news spread of the Egyptian Agricultural Museum’s long-awaited reopening after years of silence.

Curious, I checked the museum’s Wikipedia page. To my surprise, not a single image existed, and the article itself was poorly maintained, stripped of the richness such a landmark deserved. That absence felt like an opportunity. I proposed to my colleague, Ahmed Nagy, that we document the museum in photographs and share them on Wikimedia Commons as part of our GLAM efforts. He agreed instantly, and together we planned a photo tour for Wednesday, August 27—a small mission with the promise of filling a striking gap.

A Complex, Not Just a Museum

Early on the morning of August 27, Ahmed Nagy boarded a train from El Mahalla to Giza, while I had already journeyed 640 kilometers from Qena to Cairo to attend an earlier event. I chose to remain in the capital, awaiting the much-anticipated visit to the museum. By 10:00 a.m., we both emerged from the metro into the heart of Dokki, a lively neighborhood in Giza where the museum is nestled. From there, we walked nearly twenty minutes through the bustling streets until the grand façade of the Egyptian Agricultural Museum came into view on Ministry of Agriculture Street. No tickets were required; the gates stood wide open, welcoming visitors free of charge in the generous spirit of a soft opening.

Stepping through the gates, we quickly realized that the Agricultural Museum was far more than a single building. It unfolded before us as an expansive complex—an intricate tapestry of specialized museums and gardens stretching across 175,000 square meters. Founded in the 1930s during Egypt’s royal era, it holds the distinction of being the first agricultural museum in the Middle East and the second of its kind in the world, following the pioneering institution in Hungary. Within its walls lies a treasure trove of artifacts and knowledge, chronicling the evolution of agriculture in Egypt from antiquity to modern times.

The complex embraces eight distinct museums: Museum of the Heritage Collection, Museum of the Scientific Collections, Museum of Plant Resources, Museum of the Chinese-Egyptian Friendship, Cotton Museum, Museum of Ancient Egyptian Agriculture, Arab (Syrian) Hall Museum, and Greco-Roman Agriculture Museum—though the latter remains, regrettably, closed to the public. Surrounding these are an array of facilities: a mosque, a cinema, a conference hall, a library, departments for plant taxonomy, workshops, and conservation spaces, as well as sprawling gardens rich with diverse flora.

What we thought might be a brief two-hour tour soon transformed into a race against time, driven by our determination to document every corner. Until the museum doors closed at 3:00 p.m., we moved tirelessly from hall to hall, photographing hundreds of exhibits—ancient farming implements, botanical and zoological displays, artifacts spanning centuries of Egyptian agriculture, alongside statues, paintings, weapons, ceramics, textiles, and intricate models.

Along the way, we were warmly received by several officials: Shaimaa Sayed, Director of the Heritage Collections Museum; our guide, Radwa Ashraf; and the Public Relations Officer. Their enthusiasm matched ours, and they generously shared a detailed brochure that later proved invaluable in shaping accurate Wikipedia entries.

To our delight, we discovered an unexpected personal link: the museum’s very first director, the Hungarian Iván Nagy, bore the same surname as mine and the middle name of my colleague, Ahmed Nagy. A small coincidence, yet one that added a touch of intimacy to an already unforgettable experience.

Harvesting Knowledge

Yet our journey did not end when the gates closed. Over the following weeks, hundreds of photographs were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. Thirteen new categories were created, alongside detailed image descriptions, in addition to other categories on the image pages.

The images and information collected were used to develop existing articles on the Arabic Wikipedia (articles on the Egyptian Agricultural Museum and the Museum of Ancient Egyptian Agriculture), and to create new ones about the rest of the museum’s facilities, collections, and related topics (Museum of Heritage Collections, El Amira Fawzia sloop, Cotton Museum, Museum of Plant Resources, Museum of Scientific Collections, and Museum of the Chinese Egyptian Friendship).

What began as a single day’s field trip blossomed into a harvest of knowledge—one that demonstrated how small, personal initiatives can enrich both Arabic and global content.

The success of this visit has inspired us to form a dedicated “GLAM Team” within our Group, to focus exclusively on heritage and cultural documentation. The idea, proposed at our monthly meeting on August 30, is still taking shape. But we are certain: this is only the beginning.