The untimely death of Khedive Tewfiq, ruler of Egypt from 1879 to 1892, took the nation, not to mention the rest of the world, somewhat by surprise.
An article in The New York Times dated Jan. 7, 1892, reads: “The death of the Khedive was entirely unexpected. It was stated this evening that he was in no apparent danger from the attack of influenza when suddenly the complications set in and developed with startling rapidity.
Once news broke of the Khedive’s critical condition, concerned citizens gathered at the gates of the Helwan palace in which he lay dying. He was pronounced dead at 7:17 am on Jan. 7, 1892.
Not least of all shocked was his son and successor, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II, who wrote in his memoirs: “My grief was intense, yet I did not have the time to express it. There was no period of truce for me. The throne was vacant and I had to occupy it.
Tewfiq’s time on the throne had not been an easy one. When he came to power he inherited from his father, Khedive Ismail, a nation massively in debt. Ismail had built the Suez Canal with the aid of European investors, but his extravagant programme of spending caused him to sell Egypt’s shares to Britain for the trifling sum of £4 million. He was eventually removed from the throne at the insistence of the British and Tewfiq stepped warily into his shoes.
Tewfiq’s position was unenviable, caught as he was between the nationalist movement and the French and British figures who now had control of Egypt’s finances – and effectively its government. Tewfiq tried to steer a middle course, but disaster struck when a nationalist uprising and rioting in Alexandria prompted the British navy to bombard the city.
Subsequently, the Egyptian army was routed by the British at the battle of Tal Al-Kebir. British troops entered Cairo and maintained control of the country to varying degrees until 1954.
Tewfiq was criticized at the time for his reluctance to support the nationalists in their stand against the European powers. Others, though, have been more forgiving, suggesting that he was a patriot, working against impossible odds for the sake of his people.
His funeral took place the day after his death. The body was taken to the Eastern Cemetery of the City of the Dead, which contains the remains of several past rulers of Egypt, among them the descendents of the great 19th century ruler Mohamed Ali.
He was laid to rest beneath a cenotaph of ebony inlaid with mother of pearl and bronze, close by the white marble tomb of Bamba Qadin, wife of Tushun Pasha.
While the area was a green and peaceful spot, Tewfiq’s grieving family resolved to erect a mausoleum in his memory, enclosing his tomb and those nearby. They instructed the architect of the Khedival Palace, Fabricius Bay, to design something suitably grand, and he obliged with a splendid monument in the Neo-Mamluk style.
In 1894 the stone structure was erected, complete with elaborate stucco decorations and a graceful dome, the interior decorated with intricate paintings and gold leaf.
Despite its sturdy construction, the building suffered from damage of various sorts, both natural and man-made, in the following century. Like many other once great mausoleums in the cemetery, it was in danger of being ruined.
Thankfully, due to the intervention of Tewfiq’s great-grandson, Prince Abbas Hilmi III, the mausoleum has now been saved. At the prince’s suggestion, a team of experts and craftsmen began work on a project to conserve the site in 2004, the results of which were unveiled at a recent ceremony. In atteance at the event were the project’s director, conservation architect Agnieszka Dobrowolska, and the prince himself.
“The worst problem was with water, both rainwater and rising damp,
Dobrowolska told Daily News Egypt. “So repairs to the roof, the much-weathered dome, were the priority for protecting the building.
“For the rising damp, we created an aerated trench around the building to allow it to ‘breath’ and evaporate excess water. This also stopped direct penetration of gardening water, she said.
The most difficult task from a practical point of view, says Dobrowolska, concerned the marble floor, which was “seriously bulging and powdering. The slabs had to be recorded and removed, after which the ‘fill’ beneath was dug up and replaced with a non-porous alternative laid on a waterproof membrane.
“The marble was re-installed as original. Only a few pieces needed to be replaced. To remove it and put it back exactly as it was needed a lot of thinking, planning and day-to-day supervision, she said.
Once the main structural concerns were taken care of, the team could focus on the details and decorations. The facade was cleaned mechanically with marble powder and hand tools, while the decorative motif areas were cleaned manually.
“The interior decoration was conserved, said Dobrowloska, “which mostly amounted to cleaning. But we also had some flaking paint that had to be re-attached. No repainting was done, and I want to stress that. The amazing colours are all original!
The final touch was provided with the addition of lights inside and out, enhancing the mausoleum’s appearance after dark. The dome can now be seen from some distance, glowing orange into the night.
And as befits a national treasure, the Mausoleum of Tewfiqis open to the public, and Dobrowolska said she had several tourists visit her while she was working there. The Supreme Council of Antiquities is considering issuing tickets for visitors, she says.
Technical considerations aside, Dobrowolska says that a major challenge for her as project leader was to bring the work to a conclusion within budget. “Generally, the funds available were very limited. To keep control of costs and provide high-quality performance caused me some grey hair, I’m afraid, she said.
The issue of funding was the responsibility of Prince Helmi, and indeed, without him there would have been no funds and no project to begin with.
Born in Egypt, the prince spent much of his life in England and France, but returned to his homeland some 14 years ago. His interest in the site is understandably personal. Not only are several members of his immediate family buried there, but a space has been reserved inside for his own final resting place.
“This is a very important place for me personally, he told Daily News Egypt. “Several members of my family are here, including my grandfather and my great-grandfather Tewfiq. He was a very pious man, a family man and a gentle person. He came along at a very difficult time in Egypt’s history.
“My argument has always been that this is the last remaining royal mausoleum in good condition. The others have been spoilt, and so we must save this one, he said.
As the prince points out, the dangers to the site were not only natural. Robbers had done their bit to damage his family’s and the nation’s heritage.
“It fell into disrepair and was broken into by thieves, he said. They damaged the mausoleum and stole various things. Luckily, the police were able to retrieve 90 percent of the stolen items.
Among the items taken, Dobrowolska says, were furniture and decorations, but more recently, other items have been removed from the site.
“In my time, two Qurans disappeared. But I was told that they were taken by the antiquities authorities to the Museum of Writing. I believe they should return to the site. But I’m afraid I have not enough influence to do that, she said.
And despite the grand opening, work on the site is not yet complete. The mausoleum gardens will need landscaping, and a number of movable items inside require conservation work. The two kiswas (traditional coverings of the Kaaba in Mecca) were meticulously conserved. But a suite of furniture used at the opening of the Suez Canal and transferred from the Abdin Palace will require work on their torn fabrics and much besides.
More pressing though, is the condition of another nearby royal mausoleum, in which Munira Hamdi is buried, and which is older than the Mausoleum of Tewfiq. At the end of Tuesday’s event, att
endees, including the Governor of Cairo and the Minister for Religious Endowments, took a lightening tour of the place. Inside, they saw a richly painted ceiling of red and gold falling away in lumps and a great crack running up one wall.
“It is on the verge of collapse, says Dobrowolska, “probably because the roof was replaced with a reinforced concrete slab sometime in the past. We are trying with Prince Abbas Hilmi to raise funds for its conservation, otherwise it will inevitably be lost.
-Agnieszka Dobrowolska is currently working on a book on the Mausoleum of Tewfiq. She is the author of “Muhammad ‘Ali and His Sabil, published byAUC Press.
