Cairo, Egypt This museum houses the greatest collection of Egyptian art in the world, including the treasures from the Tomb of King Tutankhamun and the world's largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. There are over 120,000 artifacts on display, from small statues to the actual mummies of Egyptian royalty, and widely recognized iconic pieces like the The Gold Mask of Tutankhamun. No photography is allowed inside the museum; in fact, you must leave your cameras outside the museum. National Air & Space Museum – Washington, D.C., USA The National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian, is both the world's largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft, but also one of the most visited museums in the world. It houses landmark pieces from scientific history, including the original Wright brother's 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, and the command module from Apollo 11. It's also a safe bet that you can get astronaut ice cream here. As with all Smithsonian museums and the zoo in Washington, D.C., admission is free for all. Lower East Side Tenement Museum – New York City, NY, USA Although Ellis Island reveals that immigrants' hardships continued upon arriving in America, few museums or landmarks illustrate the plight of immigrants in major metropolitan cities. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is such a place. It is housed in an original tenement building that was discovered intact in the late 1980s. A guided tour through the dark, cramped quarters shows what living conditions could be like in New York City before housing laws were established. Musical Instrument Museum – Brussels, Belgium The Musical Instrument Museum (now known as “mim”) was originally created to show instruments to the students of the adjoining Brussels Royal Music Conservatory. More recently, the museum attracts visitors with both its outstanding collection of instruments and the building which houses it. The Old England building on Montagne de la Cour is an art-nouveau gem, built in 1899 to the design specifications of architect Paul Saintenoy. The VasaMuseet – Stockholm, Sweden In 1628, the Vasa commenced her maiden voyage, but heeled over and sank in the middle of Stockholm harbor, sailing less than one nautical mile. After three hundred and thirty-three years underwater, the ship was finally recovered in 1961. Now, the Vasa is safely ashore and on display at the VasaMuseet, the most visited museum in Scandinavia. While a large part of the museum's focus is on showing visitors the ship, an even greater effort has been expended on the preservation process itself, which visitors can explore through permanent exhibitions. Museo Nacional de Antropologia – Mexico City, Mexico Many visitors to Mexico walk the ruins at Chichén Itz? and Xochicalco, but few realize there exists a central location to admire Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec relics within Mexico City. The Museo Nacional de Antropologia is considered one of the world's finest archaeological museums, with an incredible display of pre-Columbian artifacts, including the Piedra del Sol, or the “Stone of the Sun,” the Aztec calendar stone found in Mexico City's main square. The British Museum – London, England Established in 1753 through an Act of Parliament and a bequeathed gift from a physician's estate, the British Museum does contain art pieces, but it's more famous for its impressive collection of archeological finds. The museum's high-profile acquisitions include the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Sculptures, more commonly known as “the Elgin Marbles” after the Ambassador who brought the sculptures back to Britain from Athens. Equally impressive is the museum's architecture – the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, designed by Sir Norman Foster, is the largest covered public square in Europe. Tokyo National Museum – Tokyo, Japan Located in Tokyo's Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Museum was the first museum established in Japan, curating a collection of Asian art and archaeological objects, with a focus on Japanese artifacts. A complex containing five exhibition buildings, the collection includes traditional archeological finds like samurai swords and armor, as well as decorative objects like screens and sculptures. The Istanbul Archaeological Museums – Istanbul, Turkey Few areas have been controlled or inhabited by as many different cultures as the region of modern-day Turkey. Therefore, the Istanbul Archaeological Museums serve an important role: not only do the museums offer a broad sample of the country's archeological treasures, but they also manage to cover the intertwining cultures that share a role in the nation's history. One of the museums' three buildings, the Tiled Kiosk Museum, houses antique Ottoman and Anatolian tiles, along with other Islamic objects. – Reuters; photos courtesy of TorontoSun.com and Luxpresso.com __
