On the island of Al-Manyal on the banks of the Nile is the Museum of Prince Mohammad Ali famously known as Qasr Al-Nile (Palace of the Nile). Considered one of Egypt’s most important museums, it represents an important period of the country’s modern history, dealing with the lives of the former royal family. Unusual for its architecture, the palace was built according to modern Islamic designs derived from early Islamic styles with Persian, Syrian and Moroccan elements. The carvings on the building are from the late Ottoman era, thus making it a record of Islamic art from a variety of sources and periods.
The owner of the palace was Prince Mohammad Ali ibn Al-Khidawy Tawfiq. He was born in Cairo in 1875 and died outside Egypt in 1954. As for his political position, the prince was the nephew of King Fuad, the father of Egypt’s last monarch, King Farouk. He was also heir apparent until the birth of Farouk’s son in 1951.
The prince was a man of the highest culture, both Arabic and European; he was a lover of art in all its forms, particulary Islamic art. In addition, he kept a stable of the finest Arabian thoroughbreds. He was known as a collector of antiques and other historical pieces. In these areas he had specialists who were “his eyes,” and they were constantly on the look-out for rare items. The prince also loved to travel and made countless trips to many countries and every continent. He recorded his trips in journals that are unique records of the world at the beginning of the 20th century.
Prince Mohammad Ali’s wide-ranging character is reflected in the palace which was begun in 1901. The building is surrounded by a stone wall which has verses from the Holy Qur’an in Kufic script. On the top of the wall, there are platforms for guards. The palace’s main entrances are composites of Islamic designs with strong resemblances to 14th century mosques and schools in Iran. The reception halls where the prince received official visitors are hung with unusual prints of birds and plants. Between the reception halls and the mosque there are towers similar to those in Andalus and Morocco. The towers were used for guarding and observation as well as for conveying messages to other towers for different reasons — such as military victories, the beginning of Ramadan and the arrival of the Eid. The messages were normally sent by means of smoke during the day and fire at night. The people in one tower interpreted the signals and passed the message on which meant that messages could be passed over long distances in a short time.
Though it is small, the mosque which is the center of the palace is considered to be architecturally unique. Prince Mohammad Ali paid special attention to the mosque, both its interior and exterior. On the outside the roof is decorated with sandstone figures with the cobra heads and their tails ending with the Qur’anic Surat Al-Fatiha. The walls are decorated with rugs and carpets and the windows are framed in strips of designer textiles.
One of the most interesting sections of the museum is the part dedicated to hunting which was opened to the public in 1963, some nine years after the prince’s death. In the section are a number of stuffed animals and birds. The museum also has a collection of birds from outside Egypt as well as a forest diorama including butterflies, lions, tigers, hyenas and wolves.
