The recently restored Japanese Garden in Helwan makes for an excellent afternoon s escape, just 40 minutes away from central Cairo.
Now in its eighth decade and the recipient of a major makeover, completed last year, many online sources still markdown the park as one that has fallen into disrepair and was filled with garbage. I took it upon myself to go explore one Friday morning, and found this is no longer the case.
The garden is easily accessible by the Metro; it s just a 35 to 40 minute ride from Sadat station to the end of the line at Helwan. As the train presses into the suburbs, factories, homes and desert to each side, a sense of tranquility seeps through.
Taking a left outside the station, the garden is situated four blocks down. Ask anyone along the way and they ll tell you how to get there – the residents of Helwan are particularly friendly and proud of their garden. On this main drag are plenty of shops and grocers where food for a picnic may be assembled.
Admission to the garden is LE 2 paid at the front gates.
Immediately apparent is a long, wide promenade at the center of the garden flanked by pink lanterns. On that Friday, dozens and dozens of people of all ages were relaxing and enjoying the dipping and swelling grassy spaces of the garden.
Young boys on bicycles were racing around. Families were picnicking on all sides and young couples sat hand-in-hand, deep in conversation. A few stray dogs and cats were even taken to the place.
With so much human activity, it s easy to miss the greenery. To each side are meandering paths, topiary, statues and pagodas. There are ponds and canals, although only one pond holds water.
Tall trees line the paths, soaring high above. Japanese maples and cherry trees are scattered throughout the garden. Carefully trimmed shrubbery ringing trees and pagodas abound, yet flowers are absent, most likely unsuitable for the hot climate.
A shady spot can be found almost anywhere. Tables and benches within gazebos and pagodas provide spaces perfect for reading or chatting.
A row of about 30 buddha statues perched above a now empty artificial pond cast a watchful eye over the garden. Children were climbing over them, grabbing at their heads and poking their unusually buff abdomens.
At the back of the park near the buddhas is an open-air structure with seats arranged in rows. On the walls are giant kitsch photos of traditional Japanese pagodas. There are bathrooms and there is even a small cafe and kiosk, selling ice cream, sodas and chips opposite this.
A strange feeling comes with being in this oasis of the Far East while still in Egypt. Conflicts of religion, between Buddhism or Shintoism and Islam are all but absent. Park-goers seem to enjoy the place for what it is – a green escape.
It is clear some of the garden s character was lost in the renovation process. Little evidence remains of the garden s glory days, save for a handful of black and white photos from the 1920s and 30s. The ponds and canals were once all filled with water, and some with fish. Bridges over the canals were once far more large and ornate, painted and with more finely carved wood.
One clear sign of the times is a palace of King Farouk s, which now lies abandoned and in decay across the street at the back of the park.
According to Nawal El-Messiri s 2004 work A Changing Perception of Public Gardens , Zulfugar Pasha initiated the construction of the garden in 1917 as gift to Sultan Hussein. Creating gardens was something of a trend in early 20th century Cairo. Zulfugar Pasha, who was also an architect, went on to create Andalus Garden in Zamalek for his wife as well. Care and attendance of the garden was inconsistent over the century, with responsibility shifting between various ministries and departments.
A grant from the Japanese government in the 1990s facilitated much of the renovation work.
Now, the Japanese Garden provides for an exotic and relaxing escape.
