(Photo Public Domain)
The Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh El-Damaty reopened the Royal Museum of Jewellery in Alexandria on Sunday. The museum has been closed since the 25 January Revolution for security reasons, according to a statement by the ministry.
The museum includes 1,045 archaeological pieces that belonged to the Egyptian royal family. Some of the most valuable artefacts include a tiara belonging to King Ahmed Fouad’s wife, Princess Shwekar, and a chess set, which was a gift from the Iranian Shah to King Farouk, according to the statement.
The museum building, which was built in 1919, was used as a summer residence for Princess Fatima Haydar until the 1952 revolution by the Free Officers Group which overthrew the monarchy and established a republic. The building was also used as a presidential residence before it was transformed into a museum in 1986, according to the statement.
