Gawhara Palace
Gawhara Palace
Gawhara Palace (The Citadel, Quesm Al Khalifah, Cairo) — First thing’s first, don’t expect to see any jewels in here. Although “Gawhara” means jewel in Arabic, Gawhara was actually the name of Mohammed Ali’s last wife, Gawhara Hanem, after whom the palace was named.
Dating back to 1814, the palace is a marvel of Ottoman architecture, to which many artisans coming from different countries have contributed, including Greeks, Albanians, Turks and Bulgarians.
The building was initially intended to serve as a private residence to Mohamed Ali Pasha, which he attached residential pavilions for servants and administrative workers to. He even had a menagerie built near the palace, to house the lion, two tigers and elephant he had received as a gift from the British Lord Hastings! It is located within the fortifications of the Cairo Citadel and offers an amazing view of Cairo from its entrance.
The palace, used as a museum nowadays, boasts some of the most unexpected furniture and decoration, like a chandelier weighing one ton that was offered to Mohamed Ali by Louis Philippe I, the last King of France, and Mohamed Ali’s massive gold-plated throne which he received as a gift from the King of Italy.