Museums are not just blocs, but in view of their accumulation of historical pieces and antiquities, they are considered as the preservers of the history and civilization of nations, and the witness to what the ancestors have created. The period of the rule of the royal family in Egypt was characterized by the splendor of its palaces and possessions, and the queens were adorned with the most exquisite jewelry made of precious stones.
The same applies to the Royal Jewelry Museum in Zizinya district, east of Alexandria, which is considered an eyewitness to 150 years of Egypt’s history with its spectacular holdings. It contains 11,500 pieces belonging to members of the Alawite family who ruled Egypt from 1805 AD until the July Revolution of 1952 AD.
The museum is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions for the Mediterranean bride, as it includes a rare and wonderful collection of antiques, jewelry, ornaments, gold works, precious stones, bejeweled watches, and diamonds.
The Royal Jewelry Museum was built in the architectural style of European buildings with eastern and western wings linked by a transverse corridor. The eastern wing and the western wing consist of two floors and a basement. The building is surrounded by a garden filled with plants, flowers and ornamental trees.
HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM’S ESTABLISHMENT
The Royal Jewelry Museum has an area of 4185 square meters. Zaynab Fahmi built the palace in 1919 in Zizinya, and it served as the residence of Fatma al- Zahra’, daughter of Prince Ali Haider, a descendent of Muhammad Ali Pasha.
The palace remained in use as the princess' summer residence until the revolution of July 1952 when her property was confiscated. However, she was allowed to reside there and did so until 1964 when the princess ceded it to the Egyptian government and left for Cairo, where she died in 1983.
CONVERTING THE PALACE INTO A MUSEUM
The palace was used as a resting place for the Presidency of the Republic until it was turned into a museum by a republican decision in 1986. In 2004 the Supreme Council of Antiquities began a comprehensive development and restoration process for the museum at an estimated cost of 10 million pounds, with the aim of increasing its capacity to accommodate more valuable exhibits in storage that had not yet been displayed. The museum reopened in April 2009.
Majalla visited the museum and toured along its corridors, and saw the remarkable beauty of the architecture and the decorations that adorn it. In the basement, the building is surrounded by a garden filled with plants, flowers, and ornamental trees.
MUSEUM CONTENTS
In addition to presenting groupings of jewelry, which the museum exhibited in an interesting style using lamps that depend on direct light guidance of the displayed pieces, without affecting them or the viewer, the display cabinets were provided with identification cards in both Arabic and English.
The museum includes 11,500 pieces of the finest royal jewels, which adorned and were worn by members of the Alawite Royal Family in Egypt, including the jewels of King Fouad, King Farouk and his wives, princes and princesses.
The palace was divided into ten halls, containing collections of antiques and jewelry belonging to members of the Muhammad Ali family, the most important of which are a collection belonging to the founder of the Alawite dynasty, Muhammad Ali, including a gold snuff box inlaid with diamonds bearing the name of Muhammad Ali Pasha.
From the era of Khedive Said Pasha, there is a collection of golden scarves and watches, Egyptian, Turkish and foreign decorations and necklaces, inlaid with jewelry and gold, and about four thousand various antique coins.
The museum also includes a collection of the antiques and jewelry of King Fouad, the most important of which are: a gold handle studded with diamonds, gold medals and two medals with his image, a platinum crown studded with brilliant cut diamonds for his wife, Princess Shwikar, and Queen Nazli’s jewelry collection, the most important of which is a gold ornament inlaid with brilliant cut diamonds.
It also includes a set of antiques and jewelry of King Farouk and Queen Nazli, including a chess set of gold camouflaged with colored enamel studded with diamonds, a golden tray bearing the signature of "110 Pashas," an ebony and gold Marshallian wand, and a plate of onyx gifted by the Tsar of Russia.
The collection of Queen Farida, wife of King Farouk, includes the queen's tiara in platinum studded with brilliant cut diamonds, a "brick" of brilliant cut diamonds, and chest brooches in gold and platinum studded with brilliant cut and flaming diamonds.
On the other hand, the collection of Queen Nariman, King Farouk's second wife, includes medals, necklaces, commemorative medals, and a "bowl" which was used to lay the foundation stone for the projects.
The collections of Princesses Fawzya Ahmed Fouad and Fayza Ahmed Fouad include: a set of bracelets, a miniscule hairclip and chest pins, the most prominent of which is a platinum studded miniscule hairclip inlaid with diamonds bearing the name "Fawzya," and a gold necklace studded with brilliant-cut diamonds and pearls bearing the name "Fayza."
There is also the collection of Princesses Samiha and Qadriya, the two daughters of Sultan Hussein Kamel, which is a set of gold pocket watches studded with brilliant cut diamonds, and a gold bracelet studded with brilliant cut diamonds and pearls.
Finally, the museum houses the collection of Princes Youssef Kamal and Muhammad Ali, sons of Khedive Tawfik, which includes many antiques, jewelry, decorations, necklaces and medals.
In order to look over that royal period, starting from the rule of Muhammad Ali until King Farouk, all you have to do is go to Alexandria and enjoy this type of unique heritage. The Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria will appeal to you if you are a fan of our cultural heritage and the royal atmosphere with all its magnificence and distinction, as it is not just recreational tourism about luxury only, but rather it is a restoration of times full of political and social fluctuations.
