Montaza Palace
Encyclopedia
Montaza Palace is a palace
and extensive gardens in the Montaza
district of Alexandria
, Egypt
. It was built on a low plateau east of central Alexandria overlooking a beach on the Mediterranean Sea
.
The extensive Montaza Palace grounds first had the Salamlek Palace, built in 1892 by Khedive
Abbas II
, the last Muhammad Ali Dynasty
ruler to hold the Khedive title over the Khedivate of Egypt and Sudan
. It was used as a hunting lodge and residence for his companion.
The larger Al-Haramlik Palace and royal gardens were added to the Montaza Palace grounds, being built by King Fuad I
in 1932, as a summer palace. It is in a mixture of Turkish and Florentine styles, with has two towers, one rising distinctively high above with elaborated Italian Renaissance design details. The palace has long open arcades facing the sea along each floor.
Presidential residence
President Anwar El-Sadat renovated the original Salamlek Palace as an official presidential residence. It was most recently used by former president Hosni Mubarak
.
The Al-Montaza Park, the former expansive royal gardens of 150 acres (60.7 ha), are open as a public landscape park and forest reserve.
Museum
The Al-Haramlik—Montaza Palace is a public museum of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty family
history and objects d'art. The Salamlek Palace is now an adjacent hotel.
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
and extensive gardens in the Montaza
Montaza, Alexandria
Montaza is the name of both a district and a park in Alexandria, Egypt. The district includes the park, but the two are legally distinct.- Montaza District :...
district of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. It was built on a low plateau east of central Alexandria overlooking a beach on the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
History
Palaces and gardensThe extensive Montaza Palace grounds first had the Salamlek Palace, built in 1892 by Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
Abbas II
Abbas II of Egypt
HH Abbas II Hilmi Bey was the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan .-Early life:...
, the last Muhammad Ali Dynasty
Muhammad Ali Dynasty
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, from the 19th to the mid-20th Century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. It was also more formally known as the Alawiyya Dynasty...
ruler to hold the Khedive title over the Khedivate of Egypt and Sudan
Khedivate of Egypt
The Khedivate of Egypt was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire.- Rise of Muhammad Ali :The Egypt Eyalet was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. The eyalet was ruled locally by the Mamluk military caste and their various beys , who started to fight amongst themselves for control of...
. It was used as a hunting lodge and residence for his companion.
The larger Al-Haramlik Palace and royal gardens were added to the Montaza Palace grounds, being built by King Fuad I
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, Kordofan, and Darfur. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, he became Sultan of Egypt and Sudan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Sultan Hussein Kamel...
in 1932, as a summer palace. It is in a mixture of Turkish and Florentine styles, with has two towers, one rising distinctively high above with elaborated Italian Renaissance design details. The palace has long open arcades facing the sea along each floor.
Presidential residence
President Anwar El-Sadat renovated the original Salamlek Palace as an official presidential residence. It was most recently used by former president Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
.
Public access
ParkThe Al-Montaza Park, the former expansive royal gardens of 150 acres (60.7 ha), are open as a public landscape park and forest reserve.
Museum
The Al-Haramlik—Montaza Palace is a public museum of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty family
Muhammad Ali Dynasty family tree
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty ruled Egypt without interruption from Muhammad Ali's seizure of power in 1805 until the proclamation of the Republic in 1953. Eleven individuals ruled Egypt during the dynasty's 148-year lifespan...
history and objects d'art. The Salamlek Palace is now an adjacent hotel.
See also
- Ras Al Teen Palace
- Royal Jewelry MuseumRoyal Jewelry MuseumThe Royal Jewelry Museum is an art and history museum in the Zizenia neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt. It is located in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra'. Its halls contain an inestimable collection of jewels and jewelry of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty...
- Fatma Al-Zahra Palace - Palaces in Alexandria