Monday, 25 May 2026
Egyptian Museum showcases digital heritage efforts at 2025 Xi’an cultural forum
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), took part in the 2025 Cultural Heritage Digitization Forum held in Xi’an, China. The event, themed “Connecting History with Digitization, Building Civilization with Intelligence,” brought together over 800 participants from more than 50 countries and regions, alongside nine international organizations, including UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Council of Museums, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
The NMEC delegation was led by Dr. Tayeb Abbas, CEO of the museum, and included Dr. Nashwa Gaber, Deputy CEO for Archaeological Affairs, and Eng. Mohammed Azzam, Director of the Museum’s Information Center.
The forum focused on four key themes: preservation and legacy, technology and innovation, industry and empowerment, and openness and collaborative governance. Approximately 100 digitization projects from countries such as China, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy were showcased, highlighting cutting-edge digital applications for preserving and protecting cultural heritage.
In his keynote address representing Egypt, Dr. Tayeb Abbas expressed gratitude to China for hosting this significant international event. He emphasized that digitization is a strategic tool for preserving cultural heritage through documentation, revitalizing archaeological sites, and making knowledge accessible to future generations.
Dr. Abbas highlighted the successful Egyptian-Chinese collaboration in implementing projects using advanced digital technologies. He also noted that the NMEC aims to become a leading regional hub for heritage digitization and a laboratory for international cooperation in cultural technology by enhancing its digital infrastructure and safeguarding humanity’s shared cultural memory.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Egyptian delegation held meetings with Chinese cultural institutions specializing in leveraging modern technology for heritage preservation, documentation, and enhancing visitor experiences.
The delegation also met with the director of the National Museum of Chinese Arts and Crafts in Beijing to explore opportunities for cooperation, particularly in training and expertise exchange, to strengthen the cultural partnership between Egypt and China and share innovative practices in museum development.
The forum underscored the importance of enhancing global capacities in cultural heritage preservation through digital technologies, providing a platform for exchanging expertise and ensuring the sustainability of humanity’s heritage for future generations.