Palaces and Princes

What To Expect From This Tour

• You guide will cover the political, economic and social history of the times that enveloped the period of the royal families that lived in the palaces that you will visit
• The tour will provide a fascinating insight into the development that was occurring in Egypt at the time and the role that particular royal family members played during that period

Manial Palace

Mohammed Ali Tewfik (November 1875 – 18 March 1955), also referred to as Mohammed Ali Pasha was the heir presumptive of Egypt and Sudan in the periods 1892–1899 and 1936–1952. He was a member of the Muhammad Ali dynasty.  The Muhammad Ali dynasty or the Alawiyya dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan from the 19th to the mid-20th century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali of Egypt, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt.

He was born in Cairo, the son of Khedive Tewfik I and the younger brother of Khedive Abbas II. He attended higher education in Abdeen, then was sent to Europe to complete his formation, studying military sciences in Geneva, Switzerland. He returned to Egypt upon the death of his father in 1892.

Despite being the heir presumptive for several years, Mohammed Ali stayed away from politics and mainly focused on traveling, particularly as a private citizen. He kept travel diaries that were later published.

The Manial Palace is located on Rhoda Island on the Nile. It is of Ottoman architecture and located in the Sharia Al-Saray area in the El-Manial district of southern Cairo, Egypt. The palace and estate has been preserved as an Antiquities Council directed historic house museum and estate, reflecting the settings and lifestyle of the late 19th- and early 20th-century Egyptian royal prince and heir apparent.

Prince Mohamed Ali Tewfik personally selected the location of the palace, beginning with the construction of the Residence Palace, followed by the other structures. He oversaw the design and decoration processes, while the construction work was carried out by Mohamed Afifi, a master builder. The prince left instructions for the palace to be converted into a museum after his death.

The residence compound, composed of five separate and distinctively styled buildings, is surrounded by Persian gardens within an extensive English landscape garden estate park. The palace featuring a blend of various Islamic art styles that include Fatimid, Mamluk, Ottoman, Andalusian, Persian and Levantine influences. It comprises three main structures: the Residence Palace, the Reception Palace, and the Throne Palace. Additionally, the complex includes a mosque, a private museum, a hunting museum, and a clock tower, all enclosed by a wall resembling the fortified walls of medieval castles. He kept a wide collection of artifacts that are now on display.

The prince drew all the architectural and decorative designs of his palace and he supervised the construction work of the palace himself.  In 1902 the prince bought a prestigious garden and began the construction of 14 acres of it which was completed in 1937.   The gardens host a rare collection of trees and plants.

Abdeen Palace

Abdeen District is the home of Abdeen Palace a 19th-century Cairo palace built by Khedive Ismail (Khedive was a term which meant Viceroy) and served as the Egyptian royal household’s primary official residence from 1874 until the July Revolution in 1952.  From that time, it has been one of the presidential palaces.

Built on the site of a small mansion, Abdeen Palace, which is named, has adornments, paintings, and a large number of clocks scattered in the parlours and wings, most of which are decorated with pure gold.

Built under the rule of Ismail Pasha (1835-1890), to become Egypt’s official government headquarters instead of the Citadel of Cairo (which had been the center of Egyptian government since the Middle Ages), this palace was used as well for official events and ceremonies.  His philosophy can be glimpsed in a statement that he made in 1879: “My country is no longer only in Africa; we are now part of Europe, too. It is therefore natural for us to abandon our former ways and to adopt a new system adapted to our social conditions”  However at the end of his reign, he had spent lavishly and the country had great debt

The construction started in 1863 and continued for 10 years, and the palace was inaugurated in 1874. The palace was designed by the French architect Léon Rousseau along with a large number of Egyptian, Italian, French and European decorators.

A new wing was added in 1891. However, the palace’s garden was added in 1921 by Sultan Fuad I.   The cost of building the palace reached £E700,000 in addition to £E2 million for its furnishing. Between four palaces, King Fuad spent more than 18 million French francs with just one Parisian furniture manufacturer.  More money was also spent on the palace’s alteration, preservation and maintenance by consecutive rulers. The palace has 500 rooms.

Today the palace is a museum, located in the Old Cairo district of Abdeen. The upper floors (the former living quarters of the royal family) are reserved for visiting foreign dignitaries. The lower floors contain the Silver Museum, the Arms Museum, the Royal Family Museum, and the Presidential Gifts Museum. A new museum, the Historical Documents Museum, was opened in January 2005. Among other documents, it contains the Imperial Ottoman decree, which established the rule of Muhammad Ali and his family, and a certificate for the Order of the Iron Crown, from the short-lived South American Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia.

• Pick up and return to your hotel in air conditioned vehicles
• Water
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Services of an English-speaking guide
• Entrance fees to each palace

Exclusions

• Personal expenditure of any kind
• Tips
• Alcoholic Drinks and extra meals (other than those stated in the itinerary)