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.
