| Egypt Museum |
Abdeen Palace Museum Complex - Cairo:
Description :
Abdeen Palace was built in 1863 on a 25-feddan area by Egyptian, Italian, French and Turkish architects. In 1872 the lush and luxurious palace became the seat of the government. Believing in the fact that such palace is part and parcel of Egypt’s heritage, President Mubarak in the late eighties ordered that the palace, one of the most beautiful in the world, be completely restored. Restoration work took longer than expected as the old palace was hit during the strong 1992 earthquake that jolted Egypt.
Abdeen Palace is one of the most famous palaces that were erected during the reign of Mohamed Ali Pasha Dynasty. It was the seat of the government as of 1872 till 1952. During such eventful period of time, Abdeen Palace witnessed unforgettable events that undoubtedly
affected Egypt’s modern and contemporary history. Khedive Ismail ordered the palace be erected in 1863, and the palace was named after Abdeen Bay, one of the army commander under Mohamed Ali Basha. In 1872, Khedive Ismail moved to Abdeen Palace, leaving the castle, old seat of Egypt’s government, that was built by Saladdin Al Ayoubi in 1171. And today the Abdeen Palace Museum complex stands as an evidence to Egypt's active role over times.The complex features a military museum of all arms presented as gifts to President Mubarak on different occasions, a museum of ancient weapons and a third of the medals and orders of merit bestowed on members of Egypt’s formal royal family and eminent Egyptian figures. |
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Ahmed Shawki Museum :
Introduction:
Traditionally, a museum is known to be a place where objects of antique and historical nature are displayed. However, the modern concept of a museum has been developed so as to reflect, as well, all aspects of modern and contemporary life. In the light of this concept, a museum is now envisaged as a centre of comprehersive and extensive cultural dissemination that aims at cultivating man's feelings and stimulating creativity in all fields. A museum can, therefore, be a melting pot, providing a tasteful and pleasant cultural mix, that reflects the unity and integrity of arts. Poet - Laureate Ahmed shawki's Museum, originally named by the poet " Karmat Ibn Hani'e ( Ibn Hani'e's vineyard), was the first of a series of museums to be yet renovated.
Karmat Ibn Hani'e was not merely the Poet - Laureate's house but also the hub of men of letters, poets, playwrights, musicians, singers as well as a meeting place for statesmen, pressmen and other dignitaries.
With the inauguration of this museum, the Karma is re-created anew in order to resume its older role, but with new and fresh potential. The ultimate purpose of this cultural enterprise is to achieve the sublime goal of elevating arts and stimulating man's creativity and noble feelings. |
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Bayt al-Kritliyya - Cairo
The House of the Cretan Woman:
The House of the Cretan Woman, Bayt al-Kritliyya is an example of upper class medieval Cairene tastes. The house is located in the southeast corner of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Sayeda Zainab and is now part of the Gayer Anderson House complex. The Gayer-Anderson House is actually made up of two 17th century houses stuck together. This complex is named after a British major who lived in it and restored it earlier in the 20th century. He filled the house with French, English and oriental furniture and other fixtures. The house has a large reception room with a balcony that overlooks it. The balcony is enclosed with a screen through which women of the harem could discreetly watch the male visitors below. The legends about this house are almost as intriguing as the house itself. Inhabitants of the house were said to have had the blessings of the patron saint al-Hussein who was the grandson of Muhammad. Another legend says that the well of the house gets magical and curative waters from the Great Flood. This well is said to have been the entrance to the palace of the King of the Jinn. Vast treasures are said to have been guarded by magic. Jinn is believed to be evil spirits.
Bayt Al-Suhaymi - Cairo:
The Bayt Al-Suhaymi is an excellent example of a private, though wealthy, Egyptian home of the 17th century, and shows most of the features which made living in Cairo's arid climate tolerable in prior ages.
Not that the Bayt Al-Suhaymi is unique, but this house does provide an interesting perspective of history in general, a concept which might be brought out here more easily than in other places. The concept is two fold. First, ancient arts and wisdom are lost due to modern invention and progressions, and second, that the ancient world, because of this, was a much more pleasant place to live than many believe (at least for those with some wealth). Bayt Al-Suhaymi is a case in point.
Other than the segregation between the men's (salamlik) and women's (haramlik) quarters, most of the spaces within the house are not designed around functionality, as houses are today, but around climatic considerations. During the heat of the day, shaded courtyards, balconies and roofs became the living areas, while in the cool of the night, the family would move indoors. We build houses today with low ceilings, and insulation from the exterior environs so that our refrigerated air conditioning may provide maximum benefits. But most of our modern houses would have been miserable dwellings in the distant past. While these people lacked our modern air conditioning, they developed other means, which are mostly lost to us, to make themselves comfortable. Within Bayt Al-Suhaymi we find high ceilings which allowed the warmer air to rise and then to be swept away by the north facing maq'ad (wind scoops) in the upper walls which caught the prevailing breezes and circulated the cool air throughout the house. We find thick walls, cool marble floors and fountains, all of which kept the hot air from the Cairo summers at bay. Marble was in fact also used in similar ways to which we use evaporative air conditioners, where water from fountains was cascaded over finned marble to cool the water. So while these people may not have had all of our modern conveniences, they did not suffer so much as we often believe from the absence of these conveniences.
The house was purchased in 1796 by Sheikh Ahmed as-Suhaymi, who extended it by integrating several of the adjacent houses. There are various separate staircase entries, and about thirty chambers, or qaa, on various levels. On the street side of the house, windows including that of the women's bedrooms, have mashrabiyya screens, while in the rear screened and latticed windows and arched galleries overlook the garden courtyard. The harem reception room is particularly lovely, overlooking the garden, its floors of marble, its walls covered with the most delicate green and blue plant patterned enamel tiles. |
Beit El-Umma :
(House of the People) :
Beit El-Umma, or House of the People, was built at the turn of the century as a residence for the nationalist leader of modern Egypt and founder of the Wafd party, Saad Zaghlul (1857-1927). It has been carefully preserved in its original state as a museum, providing its visitors with a rare taste of the lifestyles of the Egyptian political elite at that time. It has an Art Nouveau dining room, Louis XV style reception rooms, an Arab style living room, Turkish baths and a fine library.
The Beshtak Palace:
The Beshtak Palace is a notable stop for tourists because of its museum which documents the history of the city of Cairo, and its beautiful Qaa (chamber). On the outside, this palace built by Emir Beshtak in 1334, has unusual windows screened with mashrabiya. But the second floor chamber, with its pointed arches, stained-glass windows and gilt and painted wood paneling distinguish it as one of the most beautiful private chambers of the period.
The Carriage Museum :
The Carriage Museum, within the Citadel, is housed in the building once used as the British Officers' Mess during the colonial period. It has a collection of eight carriages, including that of the Khedive Ismail used when he opened the Suez Canal in 1869 and a golden state carriage presented to the Khedive by Napoleon III. In fact, most of the carriages date from this period. |
The Child Museum :
Science, technology, imagination, truth in the past, present and future; all interact to create a wonderful world for the Egyptian child, namely, the Child Museum. It is an edifice that appeals to a child's intelligence and inquisitive nature, allowing interaction with what he sees in full freedom. Children at this museum are able to deal with high technology and modern methods to enrich their knowledge and imagination.
Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, the patron of Egyptian children, was the first to express the wish to establish a museum for children that ushers them into an attractive world where they are encouraged to observe, get acquainted with and discover everything new and by comparison and touch - try to find for themselves the answers to their questions. The aim of establishing a child museum is to make the child feel his/her absolute importance.
Since 1985, for over ten years, specialized working groups of Egyptian and world experts in fields of science, technology, physics, history, geography, civilization, geology, architecture, engineering and arts of exhibitions have all exerted concerted efforts to create a distinguished
and unique museum for the Egyptian child.
Tour of the Museum:A child starts his tour of the museum after he receives his "passport". He sees, listens and gets acquainted with all the different aspects of life, starting with the ancient forefathers and progressing up to modern times. He begins to realize the relations between all objects, and the fact that he is a part of everything he observes in nature and in evolution.The museum provides the child with cultural knowledge of Egypt, his motherland, with all its physical, environmental, artistic and scientific characteristics.
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The Coptec Museum:
The Coptic Museum in Cairo is a life-like record of one of Egypt's periods all fraught with various antiques and monuments reflecting the different civilizations that graced the land of Egypt starting by the Ancient Egyptian civilization, passing by the Greek, the Roman, the Coptic, and lastly the Islamic.
The Coptic Museum lies behind the walls of the famous Roman Fortress of Babylon in the ancient district of Cairo (Misr Al-Qadima). The area surrounding the museum abounds in lively monuments of open museums that depict with the Coptic Museum the history of the Coptic Period in Egypt.
The place, moreover, embraces Virgin Mary's Church known as the Hanging Church; a great ancient worship house of world stature that was among the very first to host Coptic rituals on the face of earth. The museum was built in an artchitectural style using wood in ceilings and oriels (arabesque and lattice glass). Some biblical verses are written against them ornamented with Coptic embellishments like plants, especially grapevines, birds such as eagles, ostriches and peacock which all imply a certain philosophy and a specific significance in the Christian creed. Marble pillars and fountains ornamented with mosaic are more than present under the roof. |
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