Museu Egipci de Barcelona (Egyptian Museum of Barcelona)

In the city center of Barcelona hidden in plain view amidst a street of restless shops and restaurants stands a museum that is filled with the wonders of Ancient Egypt. The museum has its roots in the private collecting of Ancient Egyptian art by the wealthy Catalan businessman and hotelier Jordi Clos Llombart who has a passion for archeology.

The collection was first exhibited in the Hotel Claris in Barcelona and soon proved so popular with the guests that it was decided that the best location to house the artifacts would be in a dedicated museum opened to the general public. In 1994, the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona was inaugurated as a space for people to visit and learn about the complexity and history of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. 

Though rather small, this museum has more than 1,200 artifacts from many epochs of Ancient Egyptian history on display. They represent all periods and dynasties, from the Pre-dynastic period, the Old Kingdom, and the Middle Kingdom, from the Ptolemaic to Roman rule. 

Of course no museum dedicated to Ancient Egypt can be complete without mummies. At the Barcelona museum, it is possible to see both the ornate sarcophagi in which the mummified remains of the Ancient Egyptian nobility were entombed as well as several examples of mummies.