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Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
90 reviews for Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
This is a really great place to visit for anyone who has an interest in ancient egypt. There were soooo many artifacts to look at, including a real mummy up close and personal in a glass case, mummified animals, ALL kinds of dug up goodies, and even a cool "tomb experience" that you will really enjoy.
It's all beautifully layed out, easy to take in, and for the price (I payed $7 with my student ID), it can't be beat. Great way to spend a few hours on a Friday afternoon, only a few other guests around so it wasn't crowded. Feel free to take pics too (as long as you don't use flash).
Also, the scenery around the building is very pretty. Be sure to stop by the Peace Garden and walk around the grounds. It's lovely.
This is a must see!!
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Super cool. The kids will totally enjoy looking at mummified cats and all the little tools the Egyptians use. Lots of little historical artifacts from all through history.
Super cheap. $10 each.
Would be fun to visit the planetarium but it was closed when we went there. It would also be nice if there was an audio tour.
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Me and Wacky, we like each other.
So, I managed to fit in time on my short trip to the Egyptian Museum.
The admission is $9 but with AAA, it's a $1 off. They also offer some free show but we opted to skip it. As the front desk person said, we can always come back!
So, you start in Gallery A and work yourself up to Galleries B, C and D. In Gallery A is a replica of a tomb. We wandered around and randomly pushed buttons on the wall which would start educational tidbits. I suppose you can also do the self-guided audio tour but we take our museum trips a bit less seriously.
You may take pictures as long as you take them without flash. But since a lot of the exhibits are dark, I don't think half my pictures came out.
What did I learn on this tour which took about an hour with a few more minutes spent browsing in the gift shop? Egyptians were fairly fastidious. They tended to de-hair themselves of all hair except for what was on their head. In fact, they took it to the extreme. We looked at ancient hair extensions.
I also learned they could build magnificent pyramids but had crappy pottery bowls. Hm.
I was looking at a mummy with some of its wrappings removed. A woman barged up to me and stage-whispered, "oooh, that's creepy. D'ya think it's real?"
Um, I heard this museum be described as fake. So...maybe? But at the same time, maybe it's all real? In any case, I went because me and wacky wanted some time together. And I'm all about wacky museums.
I only wish someone had told us to go to the gift shop to buy the mysterious "blue light" kit before we looked through the museum. They had panels on various exhibits that stated to use the blue light to reveal "secret clues." Uh, the blue light kit is like $4. Maybe it's good we didn't do it then. The store also had a pressed penny machine! Ooh, I just added another three to my collection. They had some fairly reasonable souvenirs. I was eying this blue hippo for $5 but decided I really have too many knick knacks already crowding my shelves at work.
Overall, I had a good time but I don't think I need a repeat visit. Not even for a free show.
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Short hours and a bit esoteric, but cheap, and well maintained. Excellent spot for Egyptologists.
Also check out the planetarium.
First of all, I love anything that costs less than $10 to get into. After paying $60 for two tickets to the Winchester Mystery House, I exhaled a large sigh of relief when the Rosicrucian only charged us $9 each. Awesome!
Second, I love Egyptian stuff. My favorite exhibit in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science back home has always been the Egyptian exhibit, so imagine my joy to discover an entire museum on my trip to Silicon Valley. The museum offers an impressive display of various artifacts from ancient Egypt (as well as other civilizations, such as the Babylonians). Items on display here range from pottery, board games, cosmetics, and all kinds of crazy mummies (including baby alligators).
This place might get a little overwhelming for someone with only a passing interest in Egyptology, since there are literally thousands of tiny artifacts to look at. But if you are someone like me and you are always watching crazy Egypt specials on the History Channel, pay a visit to this place. How could you go wrong for only $9?
Oh, and just a note, the replica of the tomb did creep me out... I guess in a good way.
I took my family here a few days ago. This was not the first time I had been here, but it was my family's first trip here.
The museum was as wonderful as I remembered it being in the past. It is always great to see all the antiquities from past ages (and its got a lot of them!). While billed as an "Egyptian" museum, you will also see artifacts from other ancient civilizations here including Babylon and Rome. In addition to the museum, there is also a planetarium, a gift shop, and a beautiful garden to wander about in. In the garden is a large Egyptian game of senet that you can play as well. The care and detail put into the construction of this complex is very impressive
On the whole, a very fun outing with the wife and kid. Cheap too--the admittance price for all of us was as much as admittance for one at the Winchester Mystery House. Fun, educational, and a cost-conscious choice, this place is great for your mind and spirit, and easy on your wallet.
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I took my little sister here a few days ago. It was pretty interesting. When I first came in, the lady working the front was so nice. When I showed her my college ID card (BTW, STUDENTS=$7, yessss), we got into a quick conversation about the Orange County area.. she was nice. She asked if it was my first time there and when I replied that it was... she showed me which galleries to walk through first.
At first, it was REALLY interesting... then I just ended up skimming over the information and quickly explaining to my sister about the quick, main important stuff... It was pretty neat overall though. Interesting displays and artifacts.
Loved the garden and all of the places you could have a perfect Kodak moment to show that you really went to an Egyptian museum. Overall, it was a cheap way to have a relaxing, interesting, and learning experience.
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Miss B and I finished our play date in San Jose with a visit to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. While we only spent an hour, you can easily spend a lot more time. We were lucky that there weren't the usual hordes of elementary students running amuck.
If I wasn't worried about fighting the traffic back to Vallejo, I would have loved to soaked up the sun in the beautiful courtyards, the fountain areas and the "Peace Garden."
This is even a perfect spot to just wander the gardens and enjoy the scenery and fountains. You could bring your lunch and have a stroll. You don't even have to pay a dime if you just enjoy the outside.
And they offer $1 off with MILITARY DISCOUNT!
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I'd forgotten about this little gem in the middle of San Jose, until my friends and I had brunch just across the street today.
The Rosicrucian houses an impressive collection of Egyptian artifacts and is a popular spot for school field trips. I remember going when I was in elementary school, and again years later after I'd taken an interest in Egyptology. It was a sort of consolation prize for having missed the original blockbuster King Tut exhibit and for not being able to afford an actual trip to Egypt. But the Rosicrucian is a deserving destination in its own right.
Today we just enjoyed wandering around the gardens and marveling at the cool architectural details like the obelisks and statues of Egyptian gods. If we'd had more time we would have escaped the heat by going inside the museum. It's not often, after all, that you can enter a tomb and live to tell the tale.
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If you're not into Egyptian artifacts, then visit the Peace Garden. It's lovely and we spotted several bridal parties with their photographer in tow for pictures. Lots of flowers including star jasmine as ground cover which was so fragrant as you passed by. What a beautiful place for a mouse to live (one scurried into the shrubs).
There's a free parking lot across the street and I couldn't help but wonder how this place acquired all this prime land and how did they get all these Egyptian artifacts? The layout of the museum is really easy to follow. You have sections A, B, C and D is the gift shop. You start in section A and it circles around thru B and then you go up some stairs to finish section C. Quite a bit to look at and a good prep visit prior to the much anticipated King Tut exhibit at the De Young Museum later this month in SF.
The planetarium shows (free tickets that you ask for at the time you pay the entry fee) require that you exit the main building and go outside to the building next door. There are 2 shows: 2PM and 3:30PM on weekends and only one show at 2PM on weekdays. If you're not interested in listening to a monotonous male voice talking about the theory of what this cult (mithraic) worshipped for 35 mins, then you should skip it. It's easy to fall asleep in the dark listening to that stuff. Besides, there are no written documentation of what they did, only statues and drawings in caves remain, so everything is speculation but the latest theory is that the statues are images representative of the astrological signs. It's $9 for adults and students get a $2 discount with ID.
The collection even has Byzantine, Roman and Assyrian artifacts. Several mummies and replicas of famous sarcophagus (King Tut) and a statue of Cleopatra. We went thru the museum quickly because the Jr. Yelpers were protesting but I would've liked to have spent a bit more time in there. It's very organized. Another exhibit takes you underground into what it would be like to enter an Egyptian tomb. It was so cool. There's also a research library open Tues-Sat for 6 hrs. Considered a "Gem" in the AAA No. Calif. Tour Book.
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I wanted to do something a little different this past Valentines Day. So my hubby and I checked out this museum. We decided to do the audio self tour and we had a blast. I was a bit surprised as I wasn't expecting it to be much but it turned out really cool. I want to go back to check out the planetarium. It was sold out by the time we got there.
The gardens of course weren't exactly blooming in this cold weather but we'll save that for another trip.
This place is good for kids but some were a little scared of walking through the tomb. It appears dark as you enter it but the rest is pretty well lit. Two small rooms and then you are heading up to the next exhibit.
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I remember back in elementary school when I went here on a field trip with my class. I also remember going here once with my dad on a daddy daughter date. It's been too long since those days. It's a really fun day-trip, I especially recommend it as a parent/child trip.
The look of the place is very aesthetically pleasing. The gardening outside is immaculate and the statuary and sculptures are impressive.
Overall, I'd say two thumbs waaaaaaay up.
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This was a great educational experience for my daughters who are nine and five. Not only were we able to check out some cool ancient Egyptian artifacts, but we were actually able to view a real mummified boy. Pretty cool!
The cost of entry was super affordable. Kids' entry costs $5, while student tickets--which is the category I fit in--are $7. The grand total was $17--not bad at all.
They also offered a complimentary show at the Planetarium. We arrived at the museum at 2 PM, but our show wasn't until 3:30 PM. Perfect. When we got to the Planetarium, I was intrigued by the dome-shaped roof and the projector in the middle of the room. How was the actual show? Not too impressive. Two of the three people in my party fell asleep during the show. That would be my youngest daughter and me. My oldest daughter was acting like she had ants in her pants the entire time. Needless to say, I don't recommend the free show at the Planetarium. I think it needs a little sprucing up, or they should provide pillows at the door.
Overall, I give the Egyptian Museum five stars, minus one star for the boring show at the Planetarium. Or maybe, I should give it an extra star for giving me a fantastic, much needed and unexpected midday nap. That's it. The final score for the Egyptian Museum: 6 stars!
I was surprised how many interesting things this little museum had. They have a vast collection of Egyptian artifacts, and there were more things to look at overall than the King Tut exhibit at the DeYoung (although I enjoyed that exhibit too, for other reasons). Have you ever seen a mummified baboon? How about a fish, cat or cow? You will see all of these things at the Rosicrucian, along with a few human mummies and sarcophagi. Those are the things we really go to see, right? Some of the other stuff is amazingly preserved as well. It costs $9 admission ($8 if you have AAA!), which was in my opinion, well worth it, especially considering we spent the whole day there. However, SKIP THE PLANETARIUM!! I can't emphasize that enough. Unless you are a huge astronomy or astrology buff, you will be bored out of your wits. Half the people in there left before the show was over, and I had to elbow hubby twice because he was snoring. It was 40 minutes of our lives we can't get back....free is not always a good thing.
The World According to Noelle
~Allergic Girl's Guide to Life~
'Museums make me happy." Noelle W.
This museum is located in the Rose Garden/Naglee Park area of San Jose. We came here recently on a Saturday afternoon. It was his first time at the museum. I have fond memories of coming here on field trips with my elementary school. The entire collection is comprised of 4,000 authentic ancient Egyptian artifacts belonging to the Rosicrucian Order. There are four mummies on display. Upon entering everything just feels dated (think stuck in a 1970's time warp, if that makes any sense). The museum is broken up into different sections- a lower and upper section. I noticed some of the labels were missing identifying the artifacts in some of the cases- which I found to be odd. On weekends, if you have the time you can catch the complimentary Planetarium show. We were the first to be seated for the Planetarium show, its super dark so be careful as you're taking your seats. The Planetarium show is 30 minutes long, the room is stuffy and has an 'old' odor, the show is dated (most of it is out of focus).
The museums is not yet not yet wheelchair accessible, yet inside the museum they have an odd contraption that helps move a wheelchair from one level to another (we actually watched it being used). Its strange that the museum is not wheelchair accessible and yet there is something inside that moves a wheelchair from one level to another. Overall, its a small and quaint museum in sleepy San Jose, California. The outside grounds are lovely and worth your time to take a nice and leisurely stroll.
Noelle's Notes
Nice local museum.
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Very interesting and was easy to get to from Winchester house.
This is an historic building dating from the 1920's; nice neighborhood.
Also, stayed for the planeterium show.
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The Rosicrucian is a great place for a field trip, whether you're the child or the adult bringing them here. It's also an interesting place to explore if you're interested in Egyptian history.
My favorite thing is the outside area for photographs. Beautiful! Some of the best pictures of my whole life have been taken here. I'm really picky about backgrounds, and they sure have them here. Everyone seems to look good in pics taken here.
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I finally went here for the first time yesterday!!! I've always been a fiend for ancient Egypt ever since sixth grade =)
I got the AAA discount which is $1 off regular price, coming out to $8... later I realized that students get $2 off... whoops!
I went through four different exhibit rooms, the tomb tour, gift shop, and the hieroglyphic lecture... what I missed and will definitely be going back to get a glimpse of is the gardens!
The exhibits were really interesting, with acutal mummies, artifacts, information, and interactive sections. The people who work there were in interesting versions of "Egyptianwear" and wandering around...
The hieroglyphics lecture was a little longer than I had anticipated because there were kids putting in their 2 cents here and there... but the girl seemed rather knowledgeable...
I stumbled across the statue of Caesar behind the planetarium, walked past the life sized game outside, and enjoyed the sights.
The gift shop left a lot to be desired, there wasn't a whole lot in there except for replicas of cats, king tut, pyramids, coffins, and the rosetta stone. I wanted a bookmark of Cleopatra but there was none to be found =( maybe next time...
All in all I had a great time discovering all of the artifacts and larger than life statues! I will be going back for sure =)
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When you work at a museum that lives in the now, you're supposed to hate museums like the Rosicrucian. It's old, musty, the place hasn't exactly held up to best museum practices and so on. It's what a lot of museums were like in the 1960s/70s, and though they've updated slightly, it's not exactly the most modern of places. Which is part of the reason that I feel slightly ashamed to say that I love the Rosicrucian and recommend it to my friends who visit.
The place has some exquisite pieces, some of the finest known in all of Egyptology. There are some original pieces that are only known from one or two examples held by the Rosicrucians. It's incredible the way they have managed to hold on to a number of artifacts even after some financial downtimes mixed with major museums wanting to increase their holdings and offering good money to all the smaller groups.
The mummies presented here are in decent shape. Almost as good a shape as the ones in the British Museum, which themselves have more funding for theor care than the Rosicrucian has for their entire museum. Keeping a Mummy on display is not easy or cheap, and they do a good job of it.
The place is laid-out somewhat willy-nilly, but it's a great wandering museum. Go without goal and you will be pleased.
They've shot a couple of movies here, including one of the episodes of Kwoon!
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I can't understand why such a place with so many Egyptian artifacts would be in San Jose! I mean, I understand how the museum originated, but there were so many cool things that I was like, "Why Park Ave?" Haha.
The plethora of mummies (including kitty and monkey mummies) was awesome. It was fascinating to see the detail they put in their paintings. Although some of the most impressive things were just replicas, like of the Rosetta Stone and King Tut's coffin, there were many little things that were genuine. Also, the tomb tour was unexpected but neat!
For a tip, I would look online and check out when the planetarium is free because if you're going to be paying for a ticket, you might as well get a free show, too. I think they are only twice a day. They're open every day, and though there are many things that mean discounts on your ticket (being a student, a AAA member, etc.), you can only get one discount at a time. The student one is the best, at $2 off of the $9, and that was using an ID from my old college in San Luis Obispo.
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My beautiful princess, Ophelia, doesn't know this yet, but when she finally meets the great Bast in the sky, I'm going to mummify her:
http://www.summum.org/...
The inspiration first struck me a couple of years ago while wandering through row upon row of mummified humans, birds, snakes, beetles, alligators, and cats at the British Museum in London. What better way to honor a loved pet than to mummify them? Later on, I revisited the idea while on a "date" with myself at the Rosicrucian museum (yeah, once a month I "date" myself by taking myself out for a nice dinner and an exhibit at a museum, but I'm too much of a romantic to put out on the first date). Though not quite as fantastic as the antiquities on view at The Met or The British Museum, the Rosicrucian museum has a fairly decent collection and a fun replica of a tomb. Being an amateur crystal lover and occult enthusiast, I'm more fascinated by the Rosicrucians, those wacky birdies!
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Very interesting museum.
Look up the Rosicrucian organization. It'll make you go "hmm"
7.50 Admission for students.
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I lived down the street from here all my life. Of course it was a staple field trip in middle school, since I attended the school across the street. The last time I came here was a friend at the time worked here and let us in for free. The displays are cool and the walk thru tomb is awesome! I love that the musuem is dark so you feel like you are in a tomb yourself.
The planterium was closed for most of my life up until a couple years ago. I got to see one show on the above stated free visit. I don't remember what it was, just that it was pretty cool and the first planterium experience I've had.
The gardens are the best part though. They are beatuiful and it's fun looking at every little thing. There is also this outdoor board game on the floor. Me and my man would get coffee from the Starbucks across the street and then spend hours playing the game. So much fun!
Wow!!! I must admit that I was super pleasantly surprised by this museum dedicated to Egyptian history.... I believe this is the only museum SF-Bay area has that is dedicated to Egyptian history......
I won't give away too much... cuz I really want *you* to visit the museum :D but I must give out one thing though.... and that is..... an actual preserved mummy that they have on display...........
Go!!! visit the museum and check it out for yourself....
also 5 stars to the lady who took us on the mummy tomb tour......
Yay for Bay area!!!! South Bay is cool tooo!!!!!! ;-)
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I am impressed with the park, the buildings and the expansive collection of artifacts. Tomb replica was pretty cool too.
I would have appreciated more organized and comprehensive commentary for the artifacts. Some were missing altogether, and in several display cases the numbering was out of sequence, making for a rather confusing experience. The docent offered an audio tour that had some more information on certain items, but I am not an audio-tour kinda gal. I'm really not that into tours in general.
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Went here withm more kids than adults. I would like to go back by myself. I studied a pretty signifcant amount about Egyption history in college and wish I could really investiagate their exhibits in a way that is difficult with small children.
I had heard that they have the largest Egyptian collection in the US and had a distant cousin who came here to stufy the Rsicrucian religion all the way from Norway so I guess my expectations were pretty high. I have been to the Egyptian museum at SF State and am pretty impressed with their collection. Since I visited it as part of a class we got to handle some of the things and that made a big difference to me. This museum is huge in comparisoon, but all of the items are safely behind glass so the loss of intimacy is not made up for in the size. Of ocurse I don't know if the SFSU museum is open to the public.
There is definately cool stuff here and it's worth a trip or two. I have to minus a star for being a rather typical museum- except for the plantarium show. That was awesome and informative and itself would merit 5 stars!
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Was much bigger and exciting and interesting back in elementary school. I took my ex-boyfriend and his 8 year old daughter here for nostalgia's sake. Maybe it was that we wandered on our own instead of taking the full docent tour.
IDK.
I still have fond memories of our yearly field trip to the Rosicrucian Museum.
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The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is fantastic! I have not visited this little gem since I was a kid (second grade) and it was a great refresher of Egyptian history. Its small and full of historical wonders. The many artifacts they have are displayed in great detail.
I enjoyed going here on a Sunday afternoon to break up the day.
You should check it out if you haven't.
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The first time I've ever been here was on a field trip. Don't really remember much since that was about 8 years ago. But I do remember the second time VERY well. It was senior year, and we were required to go visit a museum for econ/goverment (I don't have any idea why. I think we had to take pictures for proof we were there, and write some notes). So me and a bunch of my friends thought the Egyptian museum would be the funnest place to go. You have to be at least 18 years old to get in (by yourself). I don't know if that's always the case, but that's what the lady told us. It was also about $9 to get in.
I love this museum because they set up everything really nicely, and the place itself is just fun to go through. You get to go through all these various rooms which have cases full of artifacts. The best part is going through the "cave" which is a dark hole in the wall. You get to go through it and see various paintings on the wall, etc. We went when there weren't that many people so it was easy to view everything, and we took our time. It's actually quite fun when you go with some of your friends. Although we did take advantage of the emptiness (see pictures for proof).
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This museum had many very impressive artifacts from Egypt. Some of the best were the coffins which were meticulously decorated, and, of course, the mummies.
Also of interest were artifacts from Babylonia and Persia (modern day Iraq and Iran).
We went next door to the Planetarium, but didn't enjoy the show there too much. It was cheesy in some parts and was too long (35 mins). At least it didn't cost any extra money.
The museum was worth the $9 entrance fee for sure!
The garden was beautiful and we got a lot of nice pictures. There were a lot of wedding parties going through and taking pictures though. The museum is really interesting and I learned a lot about Egyptian history. We had a really nice time.
We really enjoyed the exhibit on pollinators (there for a limited time).
We were disappointed about a few things though: lack of stuff in the gift store (although they have really neat stuff), they don't have the area to write your name is hieroglyphics anymore, and the tomb wasn't as big as I wanted it to be.
We might come back sometime to check out the Planetarium - it was sold out.
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I'm totally infatuated with anything egyptian.
I didn't realize that San Jose actually HAD an egyptian museum until a few years ago. I decided to go and it was one of the interesting places Ive been to. They do have authentic egyptian artifacts as well as a real mummy yay!
its not too expensive and if you go durning the weekday theres hardly anyone there surprisingly.
The gift shop doesnt offer much the the atmosphere is way cool!
If your a history buff or if you just like to see old things this is the place!
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did you know that the goddess of love and beauty is often depicted with the face of a cow?? and did you know that the goddess of pregnancy has the same name as the egpytian word for hippopotamus? and the ancient egpytians brewed beer all the way back in 3000 BC and poured it in these plates with carvings of prayers on it to offer it to the gods?? ANNND, queen nefertiti attempted to switch egypt from a polytheistic warship to monotheistic?? ok i might be a little rusty on the exact facts since i took in so much information at once, but this is just a sample of all that i learned in my visit.
this day was like the lived-experience of a middle school ancient civilization class. walking in the tomb and seeing all the ancient egyptian artifacts puts you in a different world. i really liked the surrounding peace gardens outside with mock sphinx's and fountains. despite being under construction inside, we were still able to see all four galleries (A-D) and the tomb recreation. be prepared to read a lot, you could be here allll day. i personally enjoyed gallery A the best, which is the first room you enter into, and has the coolest stuff like a preserved mummy (with red hair!) and old sarcophagus's, and a recreation of boy-king, king tut. (his beard is turned up at the end, which is a symbol that he was accepted as a divine pharaoh in the afterlife). ok im done with the facts, but i definitely learned a LOT. i even managed to snag an authentic papyrus painting at the gift shop afterward for my dad, who was raised in egypt.
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Four stars as a base: I went to Paris this fall with my mother, and for the first time in my life saw an Egyptian collection that rivaled this museum. It's one of San Jose's little-known treasures, but I make a point of telling visiting friends to check it out!
One thing I don't like is that the exhibits don't change much over the years (that I've noticed at least) so there are no "revolving exhibits" to really encourage return visits too often, but I love taking visiting friends with kids there to walk through the burial chamber. Kids always get suck a kick out of that! (That was one thing that amused me in the Louvre - they have this TINY walk-in burial chamber and I commented "wow, the one in San Jose is so much more impressive" ... until it was pointed out to me that the walls in the Louvre were authentic, not reproductions. Eep!)
If you are at all interested in Egypt's past, I highly recommend this museum! In fact, now I want to go again - I think I'll make a date with my kids for later this month!
Edit: And a fifth star added because I just found out that this museum is a certified Green Business in Santa Clara County (http://www.greenbiz.ca...)! How awesome is that?!
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Love this place. So fun to go to, especially the tomb tour! Really interesting for anybody who loves Egyptology!
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Cool concept for having an Egyptian Museum in the heart of San Jose. I took my niece and two teenage nephews here one day. The bad thing was I paid $29 for the four of us (after negotiating student discounts for all of us) and we only stayed in the museum part for about 40 minutes. I myself thought it was somewhat interesting, but to a teenagers perspective this place can be pretty boring due to the presentation of the place. The best part of course was the underground tomb. I think we were expecting the place to provide a real Egyptian experience. which the underground tomb embodied that. Lots of interesting artifacts to look at. The employees here are very helpful and knowledgable about Egyptian history. We were a little disappointed with the mummy presentation which was basically a 20 minute lecture. The gardens and architecture of the museum are quite nice and great to hang out in on a nice sunny day.
The worst part of the visit was the planetarium show. It was a cheesy to a point that we were all laughing at how bad it was. It dragged on to the point that some old lady behind us feel asleep and started snoring.
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Wow! A couple months ago a friend was visiting and asked if that Egyptian museum that looks like a big Egyptian building was still here? I looked at her like she was insane... What she was describing I had never heard of... Then I see this on yelp and I felt like King Tut had slapped me across the face... How could a place that looked like this have been sitting 2 miles from my house without me ever knowing... weird huh?
So I get there for the first time today, 3 kids in tow. Just the outside of the place is amazing looking. The gardens, the architecture, etc. Really cool. Inside there is a ton of stuff. My two year old stated pointing and chanting "Mummy Der... Mo Mummy Der... Scooby Doo Shaggy Mummy Der" as soon as we got in (Isn't it great that my kids main connection is that they come to life and chase Scooby).
The coolest thing there is the full size repro of a tomb... My kids were practically trembling as we went through the door, down the dark hallway and into the first chamber... It is flat out cool, it alone is worth the price of admission.
On top of that there are some really cool real life (not real live  ) Mummys, lots of stuff from the tombs and a ton of reproductions of famous artifacts large and small. Sure they are repros, but they are still amazing to look at and leave a solid impression. Oh... and have you ever seen a baboon mummy? Now I have.
My boys 7 and 5 had a ball... I will be back.
BTW: we spent about 2 hours in total there (ncluding a short class on hieroglyphics), If you want to go slowly and read a whole bunch maybe it stretches out to 3. You could also easily fly through it in 1. So it is not too large.
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In ecstasy, my mind was in ecstasy ... a treasure, a wealth, a fountain of knowledge that appears out of nowhere. From 101, exit into Guadalupe Pkwy, then Taylor Street, and you will find yourself in a long stretch of San Jose suburbia. Drive further and suddenly out of the blues, lies a museum deep in the jungle of south bay suburbia.
I have been curious for years now on this so-called Egyptian museum somewhere in San Jose. What was in store? A very richly curated collection of ancient civilization artifacts (albeit, indeed mostly replicas) from the ancient kingdoms of Egypt. The museum is cozy, moldy and dark, almost reminds me of those very old libraries that used to give me a soothing and comforting feeling that I am surrounded by old friends and kindred spirits. The exterior structure is simple with subtle hints of what you will find inside, a large door greets you with an unwelcoming smile.
The museum itself is not huge. It is divided into four sections: the afterlife to the left, daily living to the right, and in the upper floor a section dedicated to the gods and a section of shrines (Sehkmet, Step Pyramid Replica, replica of Nefertiti's bust). Initially I thought I'd browse through the works in half an hour or so, but I was mistaken. I was hypnotized. Immediately, flashbacks of my 9th grade Ancient Civ class took over my mind, as I vividly recalled my studies of the great civilization which began in the Tigris-Euphrates and culminated in an elaborate immersion on the great Pharoahs of Egypt.
The afterlife section was an infinite fountain of relics including mummy collections. It was a treat to see the merging of very ancient treasures and Silicon Valley technology as multimedia curation demonstrates how a young child's mummy was digitally scanned in order to fathom the body's identity providing the ability to recreate his look and attempt to understand his story. A recreation of a tomb allowed guests to walk inside and experience how our ancestors perceived of the afterlife of man. The descent into the actual burial site reminded me of the Roman catacombs of antiquity, though not as creepy.
A synopsis and timeline appears on one of the walls that traces the rise of the Egyptian civilization up until encountering its neighboring territories - Byzantinian, Roman, and barbarian conquerors. This provided a nice framework in understanding the dispersion of its culture and the merging with Graeco-Roman neighbors.
Surely, the esoteric Rosicrucian aspect provides a mysterious, almost weird aspect to the entire experience. Yet, given the corruption and brutal abuse of the powerful Roman Church and its popes during the dark ages, it is no wonder, mysterious cults as the Rosicrucians have emerged. They were mere guerilla warfare soldiers, humans that thirst of knowledge and an open exchange of information that was impossible to attain given the consequences such as the burning at the stake imposed by the Inquisition, as the fate of my favorite scientist and philsopher, a Rosicrucian himself, Giordano Bruno.
Rosicrucians, creepy? mysterious? ... I don't think so, they were just ensalved thinkers who had to act in subversive and mysterious ways, as knowledge was suppressed by the greed of the corrupt popes of their time.
This museum, by far, is the best I have been in the Bay Area. No frills, no hip architecture, no modern looking, nice smellin' air. It is moldy and it has substance. It reminds me of those little museums such as the Doria Pamphili museum in Rome, that you discover on a warm summer day, as you stroll through a small street, in the midst of shopping central, and there juxtaposed everyday life, lies a fountain of knowledge waiting to be found and an original Velazquez waiting to be admired!
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I can't comment on accuracy or truthfulness or anything like that, but just as something to do in San Jose, it's was pretty interesting. I was in San Jose on business, and just happened to be driving by and saw the sign. I was pretty surprised at what I saw inside. I can see from all the reviews that it's not exactly a hidden treasure, but for me it was a surprise find and a fun way to spend an hour poking around old Egyptian artifacts.
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This place rocks. Great for kids and adults. The closest you will get to seeing real Egyptian antiquities without visiting Cairo or waiting for a tour to come through the U.S.
Great displays and well-rounded in terms of the dyansties. Nice grounds for a picnic lunch too.
Avoid the people offering to explain - I think they might be cult members. Just do your research and enjoy the displays.
