Abdeen Palace ( ar, قصر عابدين) is a historic

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palace built as one of the official residences for the former ruling monarchy and royal family of Egypt. It is now one of the

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and the principal workplace of the

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, located above

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in eastern

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Overview

Built on the site of a small mansion owned by Abdeen Bey, Abdeen Palace, which is named after him, has adornments, paintings, and a large number of clocks scattered in the parlors and wings, most of which are decorated with pure gold. Built under the rule of Ismail Pasha, to become Egypt's official government headquarters instead of the

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(which had been the center of Egyptian government since the

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), this palace was used as well for official events and ceremonies. The construction started in 1863 and continued for 10 years and the palace was officially inaugurated in 1874. Erected on an area of 24

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s, the palace was designed by the French architect Léon Rousseau along with a large number of Egyptian, Italian, French and European decorators. A new wing was added by

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in 1891. However, the palace's garden was added in 1921 by Sultan

Fuad I Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...

on an area of 20 feddans. The cost of building the palace reached £E700,000 in addition to £E2 million for its furnishing. Between four palaces, King Fuad spent more than 18 million French francs with just one Parisian furniture manufacturer '' Linke & Cie''.Christopher Payne, ‘François Linke 1855-1946, The Belle Époque of French Furniture’, Antique Collector’s Club 2003, p.269 More money was also spent on the palace's alteration, preservation and maintenance by consecutive rulers. The palace has 500 rooms.

Museum

The palace today is a museum, located in the Old Cairo district of Abdin. The upper floors (the former living quarters of the royal family) are reserved for visiting foreign dignitaries. The lower floors contain the Silver Museum, the Arms Museum, the Royal Family Museum, and the Presidential Gifts Museum. A new museum, the Historical Documents Museum, was opened in January 2005. Among other documents, it contains the Imperial Ottoman '' firman'', or decree, which established the rule of Muhammad Ali and his family, and a certificate for the Order of the Iron Crown, from the short-lived South American

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References

External links

Egypt's Royal Archives: 1922-52

historical Abdeen Palace: Archives housed in the palace
{{Authority control Museums in Cairo Palaces in Cairo Art museums and galleries in Egypt History museums in Egypt Presidential palaces in Egypt Royal residences in Egypt Muhammad Ali dynasty Tourist attractions in Cairo Tourist attractions in Egypt Houses completed in 1874 Neoclassical architecture in Egypt Downtown Cairo 1874 establishments in Egypt

Overview

Museum

See also

References

External links