Cairo-Palaces-details

 

Manasterly Palace

The Manasterly Palace is one of Cairo’s architectural masterpieces built on an area of 1000 m². It is located on the southwestern of the Rawda Island, known as the Nilometer area.

It is an Ottoman Baroque palace, and was built in 1851 by Hassan Fouad Pasha Al-Manasterly, the first Governor of Cairo during the era of Saeed Pasha.

The palace was built on the ruins of the palace of Sultan Najm Al-Din Ayyub during the Ayyubid dynasty. The palace consisted of a Salamlek, Haramlek, servants’ quarters, a horse stable, and gardens. After the 23rd Revolution, most of the palace was demolished, and the only section that remained was the Teahouse, which consisted of a main hall, a music hall, three rooms, a bathroom, and two terraces. The palace's residents and visitors used to have tea while listening to music in the music hall, whose ceiling was covered by a dome so that the singer would not need a microphone.

Manasterly Palace was influenced by European architectural styles, mainly baroque and rococo. Contrary to most houses at the time, where houses contained an inner court that served as the palace garden, El Manasterly Palace has a surrounding garden that led you to the inner palace.

Manasterly Palace is famous for its beautiful decorative style and wooden architecture design. It has a splendid ornamented ceilings of various wooden architecture designs, including leveled ceilings, dome or semi-dome ceilings.

The ceilings are internally covered with plaster and garnished with colored ornaments. Dried plastic has been used to produce different greenery shapes.

The terraces surfaces have been covered in the same way. All ceilings have been isolated to protect them from rain.

The walls and ceilings of the palace are garnished with colored greenery ornaments and some bird figures.

The palace also has a spacious hall near its ground floor entrance, which witnessed the declaration of the establishment of the Arab League in 1945. It remained the venue for meetings between King Farouk and Arab kings and presidents from 1945 until 1947.

At the front of the hall is a picture of King Farouk and King Abdel Aziz Al Saud, with Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, the first Secretary-General of the Arab League, who had the idea of its formation.

The Nilometer, one of the oldest Islamic monuments, is located in the middle of the palace's outer courtyard, and was used to measure the annual flood level of the Nile to estimate the value of taxes and land taxes for the following year.

The palace also houses a museum showcasing all the belongings and medals of the famous Egyptian Singer Um Kulthum, Star of the East. There is also a wooden bridge connecting Corniche El-Nil with the Manasterly Palace. The bridge is a popular spot for tourists and offers picturesque views of the Nile and the landmarks scattered along its banks.

Last Update: 2024