7
T
he islandof Zamalek
drasticallyevolved
through theyears. From
an island full of exotic
plants, gardens, lakes
andponds toabustlingconcrete
jungle that attractsmillionsof
visitorseveryday. As youmake
yourway through the trafficon
the 15thofMaybridgeheading
towardsZamalek, thefirst thing
that catches your eye is theCairo
MarriottHotel and it’s two towers
standing tall. If youeverwondered
how itwasback then, thenpause
withme for a secondandgoback
in time,wayback to 1869when
thepalacewasfirst built…
Thepalacewas instated in 1868
and itsmainpurposewas tohost
EmpressEugenieandEuropean
guests tocelebrate the
inaugurationof theSuez
Canal in 1869. It took several
years tobuildandfinish
Al GeziraPalacewith the
helpof different architects
fromall over theworld. In
order towoo theempress,
Khedive Ismail asked the
architects todesign the
palace to resemble the
Tuileriespalace inFrance
where sheused to stay. It is
alsoworthmentioning that
many famous ceremonies
tookplaceat thepalace
including the40day
extravaganzaof awedding
for theKhedive’s son.
Oneof themost fascinating
facts about theentire island
is that it servedas agarden
surrounding thepalace. Itwas
named “LeJardinsDesPlantes”
or thegardenof plantsdue to the
largenumber of importedexotic
plants.Over onemillionexotic
specieswereplantedall over the
20acresof empty land.
History is not a
burden on the
memory but an
illumination of
the soul.
Lord Acton
JobContractMarch 1964
GeziraPalaceBrochure
