The Egyptian Museum is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, and houses the largest collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world. The museum displays an extensive collection spanning from the pre-dynastic period to the Greco-Roman period. The architect of the building was chosen through an international competition in 1895, which was the first of its kind, and was won by French architect Marcel Dorgnon. Opened in 1902 by Khedive Abbas Helmy II, the museum has become a historic landmark in downtown Cairo, home to some of the world’s finest ancient artifacts.