If you haven’t visited The Penn Museum‘s iconic lower level Egypt (Sphinx) Gallery for a while you may want to do it within the next 10 days. On July 9, the gallery will close for extensive artifact conservation which will take several years, according to a museum announcement.

This is the first time the red granite Sphinx surrounded by colossal architectural elements of a Pharaoh’s palace circa 1200 BCE is taking a break, after more than 100 years of educating and entertaining guests. The new Ancient Egypt & Nubia Galleries are expected to open in four to six years. 

But here’s some good news for Egyptomaniacs: The third-floor Egyptian Galleries, including the popular Egyptian Mummies: Secrets and Science, will remain open, as does The Artifact Lab: Conservation in Action, where conservators study, clean and prepare ancient Egyptian mummies, among many artifacts, answering visitor questions twice daily. In winter 2019, the museum will unveil a new special exhibition with a focus on ancient Egypt.

The Penn Museum is offering several special opportunities to come out and see the Sphinx before July 9:

Wawa Welcome America Free Museum Day Friday, June 29

On Friday, June 29, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the museum is offering a Free Museum Day as part of the Wawa Welcome America Celebration. Among the special activities for the day: Museum instructors provide a Meet and Greet with the Sphinx. Guests can learn more about the Sphinx, before creating and sharing a “see you later” message to be posted in the gallery.

“See You Later” Weekend July 7 and 8

On the final weekend that the Sphinx is accepting visitors, July 7 and 8, a Penn Museum photographer will be on hand, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., to immortalize the visit with family and Sphinx portraits for all guests—to be emailed as keepsakes until the Sphinx returns on view—and a new, updated family photo can be taken!

The Ultimate Sphinx Book: Read It!

Guests who want a more robust memento can stop by the Penn Museum Shop where the book, The Sphinx That Traveled to Philadelphia: The Story of the Colossal Sphinx in the Penn Museum is available for purchase. Josef Wegner and Jennifer Houser Wegner, long-time Associate Curators in the Museum’s Egyptian section, co-authored the book, written to celebrate the centennial of the Sphinx’s arrival in 1913.  The book details the original excavations and archaeological history of the Sphinx, how it came to Philadelphia, and the unexpected ways in which the Sphinx’s story intersects with the history of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Museum just before World War I.

Opportunities to Share the Love on Social Media

The Museum has launched a microsite about the Sphinx and his “staycation” for guests to read about the history — and share some of their own Sphinx stories and images: www.penn.museum/sphinx. Everyone is invited to take their own new photos with the Sphinx, or to find older shots from days long gone, and share them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #sphinxtales and tag @pennmuseum. Make sure your post is public, and the Museum will share it on the site.

(Photos courtesy of the Penn Museum)