Manial Palace Mosque
by Nigel Fletcher-Jones
Title
Manial Palace Mosque
Artist
Nigel Fletcher-Jones
Medium
Photograph - Photograph - Digital Art
Description
Manial Palace, on Roda Island in Cairo, seldom sees tourists. It was built at the turn of the 20th century for Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik (1875-1955), the uncle of King Farouk, and, although I am no great lover of palaces or stately homes, I find it one of the most charming of the city�s hidden places.
The style within the collection of buildings, built between 1899 and 1929, is, to say the least, eclectic�mixing European rococo and art nouveau with Ottoman, mamluk, moorish, and Persian traditions. The mosque was built in 1933.
The young prince Tewfik�who for much of his life was the heir presumptive to Egypt and the Sudan�had attended school in Europe and traveled widely. Upon his return to Cairo, he acquired 6 hectares of banyan-covered garden, and at the age of 26, began the construction of an island retreat.
Most probably, Prince Tewfik always intended that the palace and gardens would become a museum�a place that ordinary people could go, if they could not afford to travel, to see fine art from the Islamic world. He hired some of the greatest architectural talents in Cairo of the day, including the Egyptian Mohamed Afifi, and the Italian Antonio Lasciac to design and furnish the various chambers, and Cairo�s prestigious Ilhami School of Craftwork contributed many important Egyptian works.
After the 1952 overthrow of the monarchy, the palace was confiscated by the state, and, somewhat sadly, Prince Tewfik left his magnificent creation on the banks of the Nile for exile in Switzerland, where he died in 1955. The playful palace buildings and exotic gardens are under the care of the Ministry of Antiquities, and a wonderful place for a picnic within sight of the city center.
Uploaded
March 21st, 2017
Statistics
Viewed 380 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/19/2024 at 12:23 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments
There are no comments for Manial Palace Mosque. Click here to post the first comment.