Dhaka, Nov. 2 -- After years of delays, Cairo is finally set to open the Grand Egyptian Museum on Saturday (1 November) - a long-awaited, billion-dollar showcase of pharaonic grandeur that Egypt hopes will help revive tourism and boost its troubled economy.

Seventy-nine delegations, including 39 heads of state and government, are expected at the ceremony, which begins at 7:30pm local time.

Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Spain and Denmark will be among those sending representatives, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

In the nights leading up to the opening, shafts of light have illuminated both the pyramids and the museum's colossal facade - a prelude to on Saturday's spectacle.

Set on a gentle slope overloo...