Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria - Egyptology

The Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria

About the Museum

The Royal Jewelry Museum, located in the neighborhood of Zizenia in the city of Alexandria is one of the largest museums in Egypt with a surface area of around 4185 meters.

Moreover, the Royal Jewelry Museum hosts the most valuable displays including the jewelry and the ornaments that the queens and the princesses of the last royal family of Egypt have wore for a considerable period of time.

The History of the Royal Jewelry Museum 

The building of the museum itself is truly marvelous as the museum is housed in the palace of Princess Fatema El Zahraa, which is considered to be a rare piece of architectural art that was constructed in the 19th century. 

Same of the displays of the Royal Jewelry Museum go back to the period when Mohamed Ali Pasha became the Khedive of Egypt in 1805 and then he took control of the country making it independent from the Ottoman rule and established a dynasty that ruled Egypt for 147 years.

The grandson of Mohamed Ali, the Khedive Ismail, who ruled from 1863 till 1879, wanted to make Egypt part of the modernity of Europe. This is why Khedive Ismail added electric lamps to the street of Egypt, dug the Suez Canal, and had many modern buildings and different structures constructed in Egypt.

Moreover, the Khedive Ismail hired the most skillful Egyptian and foreign artists to create the golden jewelry of the royal family and the antiques that used to decorate their houses and palaces. This is the main reason why most of the displays of the Royal Jewelry Museum date back to his ruling period.

After the Egyptian revolution of the year 1952, all the royal jewelry were expropriated and remained in the governmental stores for a long period of time.

Afterwards, a reported that was formed by the General Administration of Expropriated Money recommended that these jewelries should be used to establish a museum that host these Egyptian treasures and display them to the whole world.

                               

The Palace of Fatema El Zahraa

The committee that was specified to establish the Royal Jewelry Museum was attracted to the Palace of Princess Fatema El Zahraa, the daughter of Prince Haidar Fadel, the son of Prince Mustafa Fadel, the brother of Khedive Ismail.

The palace of Princess Fatema El Zahraa was constructed in the period between 1919 and 1923.

This palace is considered to be a piece of European architectural art in itself as it was built by French, Italian, and Belgium architects and artists. Furthermore, the palace was erected following the school of Michael Angelo using the calm style of coloring and decorations.

The Palace of Fatema Al Zahraa, which was constructed over a surface area of 4185 square meters, consists of two large suits.The Eastern Suit has two halls and a gallery with a bronze statue of a boy in the center of it. The walls of this suit have rich colored windows decorations all over it. The Western Suit consists of two floors; each has four large halls with three bathrooms that were coated with decorative colored ceramics.

An elegant foyer connects between the two suits of the palace and it is featured with ten glass frames in the shape of ten doors with drawings representing European historical scenes and legendary stories like Romeo and Juliet.

The windows of the Palace of Fatema Al Zahraa were decorated with colored glass and the grounds of the palace were coated with the finest types of wood that were imported from Turkey and other European countries.

The Palace of Fatema Al Zahraa was the perfect choice to host the valuable displays of the Museum of Royal Jewelry.

The Egyptian Government, after the revolution of the year 1952, has taken the ownership of palace from Princess Fatema Al Zahraa and it was transformed to become the lounge of the president of Egypt before it was opened as the Royal Jewelry Museum.

The Displays of the Royal Jewelry Museum

The Royal Jewelry Museum has more than 11 thousand displays that include the collection of Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik that consists of 12 cups that were made out of bronze and gold, 2753 lobes of precious stones and diamonds, and a money bag made out of gold and other valuable precious stones.

Moreover, the priceless collection of Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik has the marvelous Sultan pocket watch that was made out of pure gold and precious stones and a number of glass cups that are decorated with 977 lobes of diamonds.

The Royal Jewelry Museum also displays the collection that dates back to the ruling period of  Said Pasha that consists of some golden clocks and watches, Turkish, Egyptian, and European insignias decorated with gold and diamonds, and 4000 Roman, Persian, Byzantine, and Coptic coins.

Among the most impressive exhibits of the museum is the snuffing box of Mohamed Ali, the founder of the royal family in Egypt, and it is ornamented with diamonds and gold, his set of chess, and his monumental sword that was created in the shape of a snake and it was decorated with 600 diamonds gathered from the collections of many princesses of the Royal family.

The walls of the Royal Family Museum have some magnificent painted portraits of Khedive Ismail, is wives, sons, and daughters that were put in pure golden frames.

The Collection of King Farouk

The collection of King Farouk is featured with the extensive use of diamonds. The first piece of this collection was the sistrum that he used when he was a baby to call his servants. This sistrum was made in the shape of a royal crown made out of palatine, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and small pieces of gold.

The belongings of King Farouk, put on display in the Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria, also contain his personal stick that was made of ebony and gold and a magnificent set of cups that were decorated with gold and sapphire, with each cup having 229 pieces of sapphire and 29 pieces of diamonds.

A whole section in the Royal Jewelry Museum was specified to display the gifts that were given to King Farouk. This collection includes the tea set that was given to the king and his wife, Queen Farida, on their wedding day by the Pashas of Egypt. This is in addition to a plate made out of agate that was given to King Farouk by the Czar of Russia.

The Belongings of the Queens of Egypt

One of the most startling displays in the Royal Jewelry Museum is the crown of Queen Shwikar, which is one of the largest and most beautiful crowns of the members of the royal family in Egypt.

There is also the hall of the belongings of Queen Farida, the wife of King Farouk that exhibits her crown that was made out of gold and palatine and ornamented by 1506 pieces of diamonds. This is besides a large collection of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and corals.

The collection of princess Fawzeya, the sister of King Farouk and the wife of the Shah of Iran, Mohamed Reda Balhawy, contains a palatine ring where the name of the princess was carved and a belt that was ornamented by 240 pieces of diamonds.

The museum includes many other displays that include a large royal clock decorated with diamonds and has the shape of an elephant made out of ivory and sapphire.

The Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria displays many golden and palatine chest pins and a large number of the personal belongings of the royal family members of Egypt.

A section of the museum is dedicated to the antiques and gifts that were given to the Royal family that include the famous plate of Queen Eugenie that was given to Khedive Ismail in the opening of the Suez Canal and its estimated price is around 15 million pounds as it was ornamented with diamonds, sapphires, and emerald.

The reopening of the Royal Jewelry Museum

The Royal Jewelry Museum has undergone a long restoration and renovation period for a long period of time it was reopened in the year 2010. Many services and facilities were added to the museum like central air conditioning, a library, a café, a seminar hall, and a restoration laboratory.  Moreover, the security alarm system of the museum to protect the museum against thrifts, fire, and surveillance cameras.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs in Egypt has announced that the restoration and renovation of the Museum of Royal Jewelry Museum has cost more than nine million dollars to become one of the most fabulous museums in Egypt.

In April 2010 and after a long period when the museum was closed, Suzanne Mubarak, has officially reopened the museum for public visits to give Alexandria more and more elegance with the startling priceless collection of jewelry put on display on the Royal Jewelry Museum.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Open daily 9 AM-4 PM

LOCATION:

27 Sharia Ahmed Yehia Basha, Glymm, Alexandria

DIRECTIONS::

BY TRAM: Tram 2 to Qasr as-Safa stop and look for large white villa

BY TAXI: ask for "met-haf al-megawharat al-melekiya"

FACILITIES:: cafeteria, bookstore

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED.

The museum is wheelchair accessible.

CONTACT INFO : Phone: (03) 586 8348

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Museum of The Royal Carriages in Cairo - Egyptology

The Museum of The Royal Carriages in Cairo

About the Museum of Royal Carriages in Boulak

The Museum of Royal Carriages that is located in the neighborhood of Boulak in Cairo is considered to be one of the important Egyptian museums.

This museum displays the royal carriages of the family of Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt, and how he and his family members were quite fond of horses. The members of the last royal family in Egypt who ruled from the beginning of the 19th century and until the revolution of the year 1952 used to ride in these wonderful chariots in many different occasions including wedding ceremonies and in official processions.

The Establishment of the museum

The Museum of Royal Carriages is located in the 26th of July Street, just beside the historical mosque of Abu El Ellah, constructed in the middle of the 16th century.

The museum was established during the ruling period of Khedive Ismail in the last quarter of the 20th century, who was the first one to think of founding a special building to host the royal carriages and horses.

This building was called the "Department of the Khedive Carriages" when it was first established and then the name was modified to become the "Management of the Royal Stables" which was one of the three managements that used to follow the instructions of the "Department of the Khedive Carriages".

With many different periods of time passing by, the building was transformed to become the "Museum of Royal Carriages" because it used to host the carriages, horses, and even their ornaments that used to belong to the members of the royal family in Egypt.

The museum also hosted the horses of the Khedive and other horses that were owned by the other royal family members. Experts and doctors and veterinarian were brought from all over the world to take care of the horses. This is besides the skillful workers who used to maintain and restore the royal carriages.

The "Department of the Khedive Carriages" didn't only manage the horse carriages of the Khedive and his family, but also used to take care of the automobiles of the family that used to own valuable expensive cars from different world class brands like Citroen, Ford, and Cadillac.

In the past the building of the museum used to consist of different sections; the first was for the horse carriages, the second was for the horses stable, the third was a veterinarian clinic, the forth was a complete ambulance office, and the last section was specified for the workers to live and sleep.

In 1969, the governorate of Cairo took around three quarters of the surface area of the Museum of Royal Carriages and transformed it into a garage. Afterwards in 1978, some of the most remarkable carriages and uniforms were chosen to be put on display and the rest of the items were stored in special warehouses.

The museum used to have a large open courtyard and this was where the royal carriages were prepared before the khedive or any of his family members ride in any of them.

The description of the museum

The façade of the Museum of Royal Carriages consists of architectural portraits in the shape of horses' heads and it was more than 15 meters high forming a notable scene in one of the less touristic neighborhoods of Cairo.

The museum hosts vertical geometrical trims that are remarkable and wonderful models of artificial horses that were used to explain the muscular anatomy of the horse.

The Museum of Royal Carriages exhibits around 78 historically valuable royal carriages. 22 carriages of this collection were gifts that were presented to the rulers of Egypt since the reign of Khedive Ismail and until the ruling period of King Farouk by the kings and emperors of Europe.

Among the most important carriages that were presented to the rulers of Egypt as gifts is the carriage that was given by Napoleon III and the Queen Eugene to the Khedive Ismail in the ceremony of the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Khedive Ismail has used this royal carriage during his wedding ceremony.

Another notable example of this wonderful collection of carriages is the Cuban carriage that was used by the Queen and other family members during the opening conference of the parliament.

During the reign of King Fouad, who ruled Egypt from 1917 till 1922, the carriages were used to transfer the ambassadors and the consuls of foreign countries during their journey in Egypt.

Moreover, the royal carriage that was given to Khedive Ismail as a gift from the Queen Eugene was used to transfer the kings, queens, and emperors of Europe and other nations during their trips in Egypt.

The Museum of Royal Carriages also has 7 galleries and 20 glass cupboards to preserve and display different types of uniforms that were used in royal protocols, leather outfits, the ornaments that the horses used to wear, oil colored paintings, and a large collection of geometrical drawings that illustrate the structural formations of carriages. This is besides 8 models of human beings made out of plaster to show the outfits and uniforms.

The Museum will host 13 of the total number of royal carriages. This is besides thousands of other items that the people working with the carriages used to wear and use.

The sections of the Museum of Royal Carriages

The administration of the museum has given special attention to the organization of the displays in order to highlight how important were the carriages and the horses in official royal processions, picnics, funerary, and wedding ceremonies.

The museum will be exhibiting all the outfits, gadgets, and tools that the workers in the royal stables used. This besides a large number of outfits, uniforms, and horses saddles that are put on display

Furthermore, there will be a specific section for the saddles and the ornaments of the horses. There will be many historical lamps that were used to light the royal stables as well and the whips that were used to tame the horses.

Another section of the Museum of Royal Carriages will be dedicated to the uniforms of the people who used to work in the royal stables and the drivers of the carriages. Some of these uniforms are quite remarkable with a lot of decorations and wonderful colors.

The museum will also contain an explanation of how the workers took care of the royal carriages and the horses in the stables, a description of the royal processions, the carriages, how were they ornamented, and many different photos of various scenes from the royal stables.

There will be an introductory hall for the visitors displaying and illustrating the history of the museum. Afterwards, the guests will enter inside the major hall of the museum that hosts two wonderful royal carriages and some other carriages that used to belong to princesses and queens.

The second floor of the Museum of Royal Carriages will display the outfits and accessories. There will also be a special section in the second floor of the museum which will be dedicated to the children to simply explain to them the idea around the establishment of the museum.

This section will contain some of the kids' carriages that small horses used to move. Maybe in the future, the children who will visit the museum will be able to ride in some of the carriages that used to belong to the children of the last royal family of Egypt.

A whole section of the museum will be dedicated to the carriages that were given to Khedive Farouk as gifts from European kings and emperors. The most notable carriage in this section is a wonderful carriage that was ornamented with special white bamboo and it was brought to King Farouk from Hungary in 1934

Another section of the museum will display temporary exhibits that would change from time to time. This will display the carriages and the items that were used in certain occasions like wedding ceremonies.

The Restoration of the Museum of Royal Carriages

The restoration work of the Museum of Royal Carriages has started in the year 2003 with a decision from Zahi Hawas, the director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities who believed that the museum is in big need of some extensive restoration and renovation works.

Although the restoration work should have been completed and the museum should have been opened for public in 2011, the revolution of the 25th of January and the political events that followed postponed the opening of the museum.

The restoration of the museum has also faced some financial problems because the private company which was responsible for the restoration and renovations works refused to continue its work because they haven't received the payment for the first stage of the work until now.

After the presidential elections and with matters getting calmer in Egypt, the whole Egyptian community hopes that the Museum of the Royal Carriages would son open its gates to welcome guests and function as one of the places of interests that attract tourists from all over the world to visit Egypt.

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Mohamed Ali Pasha Palace In Shubra - Egyptology

Egypt Contemporary Museums:

They exhibit relics from the era of Mohamed Ali and his family

Mohamed Ali Pasha Palace In Shubra - Egyptology

The Choice of the Neighborhood of Shubra

Although Cairo had many locations where different buildings were rundown and the owners of these structures never rebuilt them and Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt would have taken control of these pieces of land and erect his structures like many of his ancestors did, he refused to do such actions.

Mohamed Ali, on the contrary, paid attention to the empty lands that run parallel to the Nile to the north of the city and away from the center of Cairo and he chose the relatively new neighborhood of Shubra.

The reason why Mohamed Ali rejected the idea of taking a piece of land inside Cairo to build his palace was that he didn't want the Egyptian people to have a negative image of him if took the lands that belonged to other citizens.

Another reason was maybe that Mohamed Ali wanted to construct his palace in a calm district away from the evil plots that the Mamluks were planning against him because he wanted to have a sense of security in his house.

All these reasons encouraged Mohamed Ali to construct his marvelous palace in Shubra and the building work has started in 1808 and it was completed in 1809.

The Construction and the Design of the Palace

The architecture of the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra was designed following a new style that was not known in Egypt at the time. The wide piece of land that was used to construct the palace made the architect choose the style of garden palaces, a style that was imported from Turkey, especially from the palaces erected on the shores of the Bosporus Strait and the Marmara Sea in the land of the Ottomans.

The architectural design of the palaces in Turkey consisted of a huge wealthy garden that is surrounded by huge defensive walls, with only a few number of entrance gates in order to monitor them in the best way possible.

Many structures were built all over this garden and some of these constructions had specific architectural characteristics. These were called hans or saraya in the Turkish language or kiosks in the English language, a word which was originally imported from the Latin language.

Among the most famous palaces in Istanbul which Mohamed Ali has copied many architectural features in his palace in Shubra is the Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman ruling for a very long period of time.

The first structure that was constructed in the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra is a small villa that was built as a residence with a number of wooden buildings beside it that served as offices for the employees and places for the guards to stay. This is besides an anchorage for ships on the Nile. However unfortunately the whole structure was actually removed in the ruling period of King Farouk, the last kings of Egypt, in the 1930s to make way for the new Cairo Alexandria Agricultural Road.

Afterwards in 1821, the Fountain Villa was added to the palace which was totally designed and built by French architects and this structure is the oldest section of the palace that remained until today. In 1836, the Jabalaya Villa was constructed in the palace. This structure, which remained until today was constructed on top of an artificial scalar hill that had a square base with each side being 8 meters long.

A small garden was planted in each step of this scalar hill which was irrigated the waterwheel tower that was constructed to provide the gardens and the villa with fresh water.

Moreover, the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra had the first modern system of lighting to be operating in Egypt. This system was first established in England in 1820 and Mohamed Ali called the engineer who invented it to make the special equipments and infrastructure needed.

Therefore, a gas laboratory was built near the River Nile to provide the palace with the energy needed to be lit with modern equipments.

The remaining buildings in the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra

The Waterwheel Tower

This structure is the oldest surviving building in the whole complex of the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra as it was constructed in 1811.

The Waterwheel Tower was constructed 130 meters to the East of the Fountain Villa in the middle of the fruits and vegetables gardens which were separated from the villa by a fence which some portions still remain until today.

The Waterwheel Tower is a huge structure that was made out of strong stones with its Eastern façade being 40 meters long and its southern façade being 21 meters long.

In the middle of the tower, there are four water wells where the waterwheels were installed to lift the water. These waterwheels operated using machines and not using animals like the normal style that was followed in Egypt at the time.

The water used to follow in certain channels above the roof of the tower and then it was gathered in reservoirs in the sides of the structure which were connected to pipes that used to transfer the fresh water to the palace and the gardens.

Attached to the Southern façade of the Waterwheel Tower, there is an ascending slope that was used to lift the machines that were functioning to operate the waterwheels. This slope was 10 meters long and 5 meters wide.

The Eastern side of the Waterwheel Tower consists only of a smooth wall with four doors. Each of these doors led to a room that overlooks the back reservoir of water. Each room has a supplement chamber where the tools and gadgets that were used to regularly clean the water wells and maintain the machines that were used to operate the waterwheels.

The Fountain Villa

This villa is situated 430 meters away from the shores of the River Nile and 230 meters away from the Jabalaya Villa. It was constructed in 1821 and it was designed by the consul of French of Egypt at the time, who was a close friend of Mohamed Ali and the decorations and ornaments were the responsibility of Yusuf Hakikan, one of the Armenian engineers who used to live in Egypt.

The Fountain Villa was constructed over a piece of land that was 88 meters long and 76 meters wide and it was built to be in the center of the gardens of the complex.

The Fountain Villa consists of a receptacle shaped structure with a number of doors and marble steps in front of each door. These steps lead to a different fountain that is based upon strong marble columns.

In the corners of the building, the façades of the four rooms and their supplements appear clearly. These rooms have marvelous colored glass windows.

The interior design of the Fountain Villa in the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Shubra is rather unique in Egypt. It consists of a central block with the sections of the whole building surrounding it. This block consists of a large water basin that is 61 meters long, 45 meters wide, and 2.5 meters deep.

This basin is coated with wonderful white marble all over with a fountain situated in the middle of the basin that is based upon statues of crocodiles with the water coming out of their mouths.

At each corner of the basin, there is a fountain as well; no wonder the whole complex was called the Fountain Villa, which is circular shaped with fish carved at its sides.

In the middle of each fountain there is a notable statue of a lion standing on his back feet with water coming out of his mouth. The fountain has a large gallery overlooking it and this gallery includes numerous marble columns and it is richly decorated with drawings and portraits of the Egyptian military fleet, and some Roman and Greek thinkers and philosophers.

The ceiling of this gallery is featured with its marvelous oil paintings and the ottoman baroque style of architecture that was quite dominant in Turkey at the time of the construction of the palace.

The Supplementary Halls of the Fountain Villa

The Fountain Villa has four supplementary halls that are quite astonishing in their decorations and their architectural design. The finest of these halls is the Salon or walnuts hall because the walls and the ground of this hall were lined with Turkish walnut trees wood.

The wall of this hall is featured with its large mirror that is decorated in the fabulous Moroccan Andalusian style. The ceiling of this hall has remarkable baroque style drawings in the golden colors.

There is also the hall of the Fountain Villa is the Arabian Hall which walls were decorated with green paintings of flowers and roses. The ceiling of this hall is featured with its distinctive wooden arabesque screens that consist of small complex geometrical shapes.

Among the decorations of the hall there are certain sections where the names of the family of Mohamed Ali are written and this part of the hall was redecorated during the reigns of Sultan Said Pasha and Abbas Pasha, the successors of Mohamed Ali

Location :

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Port Said Museum - Egyptology

Port Said Museum - Egyptology

About Port said:

The city of Port said is one of the three cities located on the Suez Canal together with the two cities of Ismailia and Suez. Port said was established in the year 1860 and it was called in the beginning; “The General City of the Canal”.

The history of Port said was always associated with the history of the whole nation and the people of the city were always reacting towards the national events. 

 This fact is clearly reflected in the tripartite aggression of France, Britain, and Israel on the city of Port said and how the inhabitants of the city protected it bravely against the armies and the forces of these countries.

In the beginning of 1976 Ports aid was declared to become a free tax zone and this attracted a lot of tourists to visit the city as many large touristic ships visit Port said to spend a day in the city before going on with their journey to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea.

The location of Port said

The city of Port said is located in the Northern edge of the Suez Canal with Mediterranean Sea to its North, the governorate of Ismailia to its South, the area of North Sinai to the East, and the governorate of Damietta to its West.

The geographical location of Port said has always played a major role in the history of the city and the whole region as it is located in the intersection of the trading routs between the East and the West.  

The Surface Area and the Climate of Port said

The surface area of Port said is estimated to be 1350 square kilometers and the city consists mainly of five large neighborhoods; Port Fouad, El Shareq, El Arab, El Dawahy, and El Zohour which was established lately in the year 2000.

The climate of Port said, the same as many cities and ports situated on the Mediterranean Sea, is moderate all year long but it might get a little cold and rainy in the winter.

The Old Lighthouse of Port said

The Old Lighthouse of Port said is considered to be among the most important attractions of the city as it was among the first buildings to be constructed with concrete in the whole world.

The lighthouse was constructed in 1869 in the reign of Khedive Ismail to guide the ships passing through the Suez Canal which was opened in the same year.

The Old Lighthouse of Port said has an octagonal shape and a height of 56 meters. The lighthouse has a large ball at its top that was used to determine the power and the direction of the wind.

The Military Museum of Port said

The Port said Museum was opened for public in the year 1964, 8 years after the victory the people of Port said had in the 23rd of December 1956 against the armies of three great countries ; France, Britain, and Israeli.

The surface area of the Port said Museum is 7500 square meters and it is located about 300 meters away from the Shohada’ or the Martyrs Square and the building of the governorate of Port Said.

The Port Said National Museum consists of a one floor building and it hosts some of the spoils the Egyptian forces were able to gather from the Israelis in the War of the 6th of October.

The Portsaid Museum also hosts a large collection of military tools, equipments, Israeli tanks, canons, guns, and some parts and sections of military aircrafts.

The Museum is divided into three halls. The first hall is called the “All Time” hall and it includes different types and forms of weapons and military equipments that date back to ancient Egypt and the Pharaonic times.

The item that catches the eyes of the visitor as soon as he enters the second hall of the Port said which is specified for the displays of the Tripartite Aggression on Port said after the former Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser declared the nationalization of the Suez Canal.

The first item the guests view in the hall of the Tripartite Aggression on Port said is the front page of Al Ahram newspaper number 25437 dated the 27th of July 1956.

The headline of the front page reads “the president announces, in the name of the nation, that we have regained our money and rights”.

The Rest of the front page of Al Ahram covers the news of the nationalization of the Suez Canal and the forming of the Board of Directors of the Authority of the Suez Canal.

The next item located in this hall is a plate announcing the presidential decree of nationalizing the Suez Canal and other plates from France and Britain to the Egyptian and Israeli forces in order to stop their fighting and clashes together

On the right hand side of the hall, there is a diorama of the battles of resistance of the people of Port said in the area of Al Gamil.  There is a model of the speech of the president Mohamed Abdel Nasser in El Azhar Mosque, some colored portrays of some scenes of the battle, and then at the end some of the belongings of the British officer Meir House like his pistol, cap, camera, watch, and pipe.  

Above this collection of Meir House, there is a portrait representing the scene of how Meir House was kidnapped, then some weapons and equipments, and a photo of the former governor of Portsaid as he was one of the champions of this battle.

In the middle of this hall, there is a small model of El Borlos naval battle and the photos of some martyrs who died in the battle. There are also some examples of the publications that were spread to encourage the people to revolt against the British occupation.

The National Museum of Port said 

The National Museum of Port said is situated in a distinctive location in the intersection of the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.

The Museum hosts more than 9000 displays dating back to the Pharaonic, Greco Roman, Coptic, and Islamic periods of the Egyptian history.

The 23rd of July Street and the Palestine Street, situated in front of the Ferdinand de Lesseps touristic path, were established over a surface area of around 13000 square meters.

The Museum was founded in 1963 and the construction work of the museum was halted from the year 1967 until the year 1973 because of the series of wars Egypt had with Israel as the museum was hit with two military missiles in 1967.  At the very end, the museum was opened for public visits in 1986.

The Museum originally consisted of a large museum garden and a two floors building that display a large number of displays dating back to different periods of the Egyptian history.

Since the opening of the museum in 1986, many people from all over Egypt have visited the museum in its working hours from 9 till 3 in the morning in the winter and from 9 till 10 at night in the summer because of its many remarkable interesting displays.

The Crisis of the National Museum of Port said

The crisis of the National Museum of Port said has started when many cracks and fissures appeared on the walls of the building of the museum which threatened the safety of the valuable displays. 

Although it was restored three times with a budget of 75 million Egyptian pounds, the experts noted that rebuilding the museum from the very beginning would be a better idea. This was why the museum was destroyed in 2009 and the displays were all put in storage rooms and since that date the construction work of the new museum never began.

The officials of the governorate of Port said have denied the rumors that said that the land where the new National Museum of Port said was sold to some investors but until today the building work of the new museum was never started.

The officials of Port said have demanded that the museum should be rebuilt quickly to be added to the few other touristic attractions of the city like the military museum. They have added moreover that the closure of the National Museum of Port said is considered to be a disaster especially with its marvelous location near the port of the city that welcomes thousands of tourists every week.

The Suez Canal Authority Building

The Suez Canal Authority Building is one of the historical buildings of Port said and it was constructed in 1895 as the first construction to be erected on the shores of Port said.

The building was used as the headquarters of the Suez Canal in the city of Port said to monitor the traffic of the ships passing in the canal.

The building was bought by the British authorities during the World War I to become the base of the British army in the Middle East before the British occupation left Egypt in 1956.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Sat-Thurs: 9AM-4PM

(sometimes closed at lunch)

Fri: 9-11AM, 1-4PM

TICKET COST:

There is 50% reduction for bearers of International Student ID Card!

LOCATION:

Corner of Palestine St. and 23 July St., Port Said

DIRECTIONS:

BY TAXI: ask for "met-haf boor sayyid"

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED.

CONTACT INFO: Phone: (066) 237 419

CONTACT INFO: Phone: (064) 322749

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED

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Ismalia Museum - Egyptology

Ismalia Museum - Egyptology

The Ismailia Museum opened in 1932 in a building constructed in a style inspired by the Greco-Roman architecture of Egypt. The collection includes approximately 4,000 objects from the Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman eras, including such outstanding pieces as a large and beautifully preserved Roman floor mosaic dating to the 3rd century BC. A beautiful garden serves as an open-air gallery for statuary and stelae. Labels are in Arabic and English.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Open daily, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM

9:00 AM-3:00 PM during Ramadan

TICKET COST:

Student rates available to bearers of a valid student ID from an Egyptian university or an International Student ID Card (ISIC)

LOCATION:

Salah Salem St., Al-Afareng, Ismailia

DIRECTIONS:

BY TAXI: ask for "met-haf al-ismailia"

The museum is wheelchair-accessible.

CONTACT INFO: Phone: (064) 322749

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED !

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El Wadi El Gadid Museum - Egyptology

The Museum of El Wadi El Gadid

About Al Wadi El Gadid 

The governorate of Al Wadi El Gedid, or the New Valley, lies in the South Western section of Egypt in the west bank of the River Nile situated inside the Western Desert of land of the Pharaohs.

Five governorates are located in the Eastern borders of Al Wadi El Gedid; El Minya, Asyut, Sohag, and Aswan. Marsa Matrouh and the Bahariya Oasis lie to its North, Libya to its West, and Sudan to its South.

The surface area of the governorate of El Wadi El Gadid is huge is it is around 485,000 square kilometer, which is around 48% of the total surface area of Egypt and 67% of the total surface area of the Western Desert.

The surface area of El Wadi El Gadid consists mainly of three depressions located 200 to 300 kilometers away from the River Nile and three oasis occupies this area; El Kharga, El Dakhla, and El Farafra.

The administrational capital of the governorate of El Wadi El Gedid is the city of El Kharga, located 600 kilometers to the South of Cairo and 222 kilometers to the south of Asyut.

Situated 198 kilometers to the west from El Kharga, there is the city of Mut, the capital of Al Dakhla, and 300 kilometers away from Mut, there is the city of El Farafra.

A historical background

During the Pharaonic era, the two depressions of El Dakhla and El Kharga compromised one administrational unit and it was called “Thana” in Abydos in the governorate of Sohag and this region had one ruler.

The significance of El Wadi El Gedid in the ancient times was due to being the first defensive line of Egypt against the attacks of the Nubians from the South and the Libyans from the East.

This was why the Pharaohs and kings of ancient Egypt made sure that El Wadi El Gedid was stable and that its inhabitants enjoyed good living conditions.

The ruins and establishments of the Pharaohs in the governorate of El Wadi El Gedid still remain in the historical site of Balat and the Temple of Hibis in the Kharga Oasis.

Many excavation works are taking place in the governorate of El Wadi El Gedid discovering more and more of the secrets and antiquities of ancient Egypt.

The scientific discoveries and researches that were carried out in the governorate of Al Wadi El Gedid proved that this area of Egypt has greatly flourished during the reign of the 6th dynasty in 2420 BC.

When Cambyses of Persia conquered Egypt in the 6th century BC, he sent a huge army from Thebes to the Siwa Oasis to destroy the Temple of Amun.  The soldiers of Cambyses left Thebes and went in the direction to the Siwa Oasis and when they reached the Kharga Oasis, they rested there for a few days.

Afterwards, the army of Cambyses left El Kharga but none of them was able to reach Siwa or even return to the Kharga Oasis in a mystery that scientists are still searching for its reason until today.

This was why the Persian Emperor of Egypt, Dara, the successor of Cambyses, constructed the temple of Hibis to please the people of El Kharga and erase any bad memories that Cambyses has left.

During the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, they gave special attention to the area of El Wadi El Gedid and the agriculture of the region greatly developed during this period. They have also constructed remarkable structure like the temple of Ghweita located to the South of El Kharga today.

When the Romans came to govern Egypt, they made use of the fertile lands of the area of El Wadi El Gedid and they benefited from the water wells there to increase the area of the cultivated lands.  The commercial activities also flourished a lot during this period in the trading routs between Egypt, Nubia, and Sudan.

When Christianity was spread in Egypt and the Roman Emperors who were ruling the country started prosecuting the Egyptian Copts in the 3rd and the 4th centuries AD, they resorted to the area of El Wadi El Gedid in the Western Desert, cultivated the land there, and lived safely in this section of Egypt.

The most impressive historical site that the Copts have left in the Western Desert in the governorate of El Wadi El Gedid was the historical necropolis of El Bagwat the belongs to the 5th and 6th centuries.

The Museum of El Wadi El Gadid

The Supreme Council of Antiquities has established the Museum of El Wadi El Gedid implementing the policies of the council to spread many museums all over Egypt displaying the historical treasures of the country.

The Museum of El Wadi El Gadid consists of three floors, a ground floor and two upper floors. The ground floor has a large foyer that is opened on the second and third floors. The main foyer has two halls to the right and the left hands sides that host the most important displays of the museum.

The most remarkable displays of El Wadi El Gedid Museum includes some plaster masks that date back to the Greco Roman period, some statues of the Sphinx, and a statue of the god Horus, the falcon god.

The Displays of the Pharaonic Period

Due to the importance that El Wadi El Gedid has held during the Pharaonic period of the Egyptian history, the Museum of El Wadi El Gedid has some of the most remarkable displays dating back to that period.

This Pharaonic displays of El Wadi El Gedid Museum includes a collection of knives and scarpers that date to the pre dynastic period and a large collection of containers and vessels with several sizes, shapes, and uses, and they all date back to the period of the Old Kingdom.

There is also a notable collection of red pottery that was famous during the Old Kingdom period in El Wadi El Gedid in general and in El Kharga in particular.

Some portraits and motifs that were gathered from many Pharaonic Temples and historical sites from all around El Wadi El Gedid like from the Temple of Hibis, the Temple of Nadura, and the Temple of Ghweita.

The Pharaonic displays of El Wadi El Gedid include wonderful graffiti that were brought from historical sites from all around the governorate especially the one made of Mortar portraying the life in an oasis in the ancient times that is featured with its dark red color.

The Displays of the Greco Roman Period

The Romans, the same as many other dynasties that ruled over Egypt in several eras of time, have given special attention to El Wadi El Gedid, being one of the important gates and defensive lines of the land of the Nile.

The displays of the Greco Roman period of El Wadi El Gedid Museum include a wonderful collection of masks, pieces of coffins, and some examples of cartonnages.  There are also some complete coffins that are richly decorated with colored ornaments and different shapes.

There are many containers, vessels, and cups made out of pottery from different sizes and shapes and date back to the Roman period, a collection of jewelry made out of gems, precious stones, and a selection of statues of gods and goddesses that were made out of wood.

The same as the Pharaonic displays of El Wadi El Gedid Museum, the Greco Roman collection also contains some notable wall paintings and carvings especially the notable one portraying the god Amun, the king of the kings of gods in ancient Egypt.

The Displays of the Coptic and Islamic Periods

Due to the fact that the Egyptian Copts have resorted to the area of El Wadi El Gedid after the injustice they have been exposed to by the Roman Emperors in the early Christian days in Egypt and because of the Moslems, when they took control of Egypt, gave special attention to the region of Southern Egypt and specifically to El Wadi El Gedid, the Coptic and the Islamic collection of the museum is interesting and noteworthy.

The Coptic collection of El Wadi El Gedid Museum includes a large number of Coptic icons, copper and bronze crosses, colored portrays of the Christ, the Virgin Mary, and many other Christian saints, a number of wooden objects, and some rare Coptic manuscripts.

On the other hand the Islamic collection has many distinctive lamps that were used to light up the mosques in the old days, Quran inscriptions written on wood and paper, a large collection of pottery and containers, and some collections of weapons that were used during the Islamic period.

The Museum of El Wadi El Gedid is among the most important highlights of the governorate and it illustrates the history of the whole region. Visiting the museum is highly recommended for any tourists who love arts and the Egyptian history.

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Beni Seuf Monuments Museums - Egyptology

Beni Seuf Museums

The Beni Suef Museum houses artifacts related to the history of the region, an important agricultural center known especially for textile production. Artifacts from nearby pharaonic sites such as Abusir and Heracleopolis Magna (Ihnasya el-Medina) are housed on the first floor, while the second floor is devoted to displays of Coptic and Islamic period objects from the area.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open daily, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM

TICKET COST:
Student rates available to bearers of a valid student ID from an Egyptian University or an International Student ID Card (ISIC)

LOCATION:
Next to the governorate building, Beni Suef

DIRECTIONS:

BY TAXI: ask for "met-haf beni suef"

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Tanta Museum - Egyptology

The City of Tanta, it's attractions and Museum

About the History of Tanta

The name Tanta is ancient name that was known in Egypt since thousands of years. The Pharaohs have called this area Tanaso in the ancient Egyptian history and it was one of the towns of the fifth province of ancient Egypt.

In the 4th century BC, the Greeks have called the city “Tanitad”, and then in the Roman period, it was called “Tanthna” and a council of senates were assigned to rule the city. In the Byzantine era, the city was called “Tow” and after the Moslems opened Egypt in 641 AD, the name of the city has changed to become “Tantada”. 

During the early Islamic the importance of the city was diminished and it was transformed from being a whole town to become a suburbia, or a village that hosted a little number of small houses and huts that were constructed out of brick stones.  

During the 10th century AD, the Khedive and the ruler of Egypt at the time, Al Mostanser,  who belonged to the Fatimid dynasty, applied major changes to the different provinces and boroughs of Egypt. Upper Egypt, at the time, was only divided into large regions, each region consisted of two duchies, and each duchy consisted of states or a number of provinces.

Khedive Al Mostanser eliminated the two regions in Upper Egypt and he made the whole area consist of only one region with that consisted of a number of provinces with the “Tantaweya” province among them.

The Fatimid has taken the new Tantaweya as a base for them and the province had a ruler who controlled all the security and administrational matters. Since that period, Tanta has started capturing the attention of the rulers of Egypt.

When the Ayyubids, the dynasty that was founded by the famous Arabian army leader, Saladin El Ayouby, ruled over Egypt, Tanta became a large village with a surface area that exceeded 100 acres.

The Delta of the River Nile was re-divided in the reign of Al Sultan Al Ashraf in 1375 AD to consist of 11 provinces, with a new province that had the name Gharbeya, or the Western province, a name that still officially exist until today with the same capital, El Mahla El Kobra.

The city of Tantaweya was called “Tant” in the beginning and then Tanta and it followed the ruling system and administration of El Gharbeya Province.

Tanta in the beginning of the 15th century, had a an official employee who was assigned by the Sultan  that used to supervise everything in the town like public morals, religion, education, commercial activities, and he used to try to improve the living conditions of the people living in town.

Unfortunately, the living conditions of Tanta worsened again during the period of the Ottomans in Egypt and the cultivated lands of the town became less and so was the population of Tanta which decreased due to the harsh living conditions.

During the French occupation of Egypt in 1789 the administrational borders of some of the provinces of the Delta were modified as some provinces were canceled and others were joined together like Tanta that was added to El Menofeya Governorate.

When Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt, came to rule over the country in the beginning of the 19th century, he had another administrational modification and the Nile Delta had 6 provinces and Tanta became a part of Al Gharbeya Governorate once again/

Afterwards in 1836, Abbas Touson Pasha, the grandson of Mohamed Ali, became the first governor of El Gharbeya and since that date the city and the governorate have tremendously thrived.

The importance of Tanta even increased when the first railway to be ever established in Egypt in 1854 passed through the town coming from Cairo and going to Alexandria.

Moreover, telegraph and telephone wires reached Tanta in reign of Khedive Mohamed Tawfik in 1888 to add more and more facilities to the inhabitants of Tanta and Al Gharbeya.

When Gamal Abdel Nasser, the former Egyptian president, became the ruler of Egypt, all the provinces and directorates were canceled and replaced by governorates. However, Tanta remained the capital of Al Gharbeya Governorate until today.

Tanta was famous in the old days of the great gates of the city that used to close at night to protect the inhabitants of the city against any outer attacks and the gates of Tanta were like the famous gates of Cairo that remained until today.

About the City of Tanta Today

Tanta is the capital of the Governorate of Gharbeya and it is situated 92 kilometers to the North of Cairo, the Egyptian capital. Tanta is located in the middle of the Nile Delta and this was why the Arabs named it “Tantda” in the beginning of the Islamic ruing in Egypt.

Tanta is considered to be the most civilized and urbanized city after Cairo, the capital, Alexandria, the second capital of Egypt and the jewel of the Mediterranean Sea as many people prefer to call it.

Moreover, Tanta is considered to be the third largest city in the Nile Delta according to the size of the surface area of the city, after Al Mansoura and El Mahla El Kobra. 

The Mosque of Al Sayed El Badawy

The most important monument and the major landmark of the city of Tanta is the famous mosque of Al Sayed El Badawy, a relative to El Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohamed, who was buried in Egypt.

Al Sayed El Badawy was born in beginning of the 13th century from an Alaouite family in Morocco in the reign of El Mowahed king, El Nasser Mohamed.

After having the finest education, Al Sayed El Badawy left Egypt and went to live in Mecca with his father and after 20 years, his father passed away in Mecca in 1230 AD.

Al Sayed came back to Egypt in 1240 AD and he lived in Tanta where he spent the rest of his life teaching Islam and the Islamic thoughts to the people of Tanta and the whole Nile Delta in Egypt.    

The Mosque of Al Sayed El Badawy was founded in the beginning as a small prayer area that was situated near the tomb of Al Sayed El Badawy in Tantathat was founded by Sultan Seif El Dine Qaitbey in 1483

However, the mosque that we view today was actually constructed by Ali Bek El Kebir in 1769 and the mosque is featured with its marvelous design, and its three domes that overlooks the three mausoleums located in the mosque.

The Mosque of Al Sayed El Badawy was renewed twice during the reign of Abbas I, the Khedive of Egypt, the first was in 1836 while the second time was in 1848.

Many rulers of Egypt took care of the restoration and renewal works of the museum including Khedive Ismail, Khedive Abbas Helmi II, King Fouad, and then the presidents of Egypt after the revolution of 1952.

Al Sayed El Badawy has a great festival to celebrate his birthday that is held around the most and all over the city of Tanta once every year with so many people from all over Egypt coming to attend this wonderful Islamic celebration.  

The Museum of Tanta

Due to the historical significance of the Governorate of El Gharbeya and its fundamental role in the Egyptian history throughout different periods of history, this was why the Egyptian authorities decided to establish a museum in the city of Tanta, the capital of El Gharbeya in 1913 as one of the oldest museums of Egypt. 

The former town hall of Tanta was chosen to host the displays of the Tanta Museum of Antiquities that was officially opened in 1913. However, the museum was quickly closed and then reopened once again in 1935 and then it was closed for the second time and then reopened again in the 29th of October 1990.

Many people are wondering why the Tanta Museum was closed again although the building of the museum was renewed in the year 2000 and many painting and plumbing works in the museum were completed. 

The Tanta Museum of Antiquities consists of five large floors, with the first four floors specified for displaying the collection of the museum while the fifth floor hosts the administration offices, a storage room, and a conference hall. 

The first floor of the Tanta Museum hosts a large collection of Pharaonic displays, the second floor displays some exhibits dating back to the Greco Roman period, the third floor was specified for the Coptic and Islamic displays, the forth has a large library and a conference hall, and the fifth and last floor has administration offices.  

Furthermore, the same as many other museums and historical sites around Egypt, the Tanta Museum is waiting for some governmental official to rescue this important structure from neglect and oblivion to become an important visit for many Egyptians and some tourists who visit Tanta.

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