The Royal Jewellery Museum in Alexandria celebrated its 30th opening anniversary, which falls on 29 October, by organising a number of events, including the establishment of a temporary exhibition that will last for a month.
The exhibition includes the holdings of the noble owner of the palace, Fatima Haider. In addition, Professor Mohammad Fayez Yakan, the grandson of Fatima Haider, will deliver a lecture under the title “Jewellery Museum between the past and the present”.
Moamen Othman, Head of the Museums Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the museum will also organise a photography exhibition by archaeological restorer Hisham Tawhid, under the title “Royal Egypt”, and it will last for a week.
The exhibition includes a special section for the pictures of the Royal Jewellery Museum, as well as archival photos of the old palace will be displayed. In addition to preparing and showing a documentary film about Princess Fatima Haider and the palace.
Safaa Farouk, Director General of the Museum, said that the Museum is a unique and distinguished model of Egyptian buildings inspired by the European style, designed by Italian artist Antonio Lachiac, similar to European palaces in the Renaissance in its Baroque and Rococo styles. They had the greatest influence on the architecture and decoration of the palace, and its floors were covered with a group of the finest imported timber.
She added that the museum was originally a palace for the noble “Fatima Zahra Haider”, the daughter of Zainab Fahmy and Prince Ali Haider Shanassi bin Prince Ahmed Rushdie. Bey bin Prince Mustafa Bahjat Fadel Pasha bin Ibrahim Pasha bin Muhammad Ali Pasha the Great, and her mother started building The palace in 1919, then Princess Fatima completed the construction in 1923.
It was used as a summer residence until 1952, and then it became a presidential residence until 1986. It was then turned into a museum of royal jewellery for the family of Muhammad Ali. The museum was officially opened on 29 October 1986.
