Islamic heritage · Cairo
Abdeen Palace
Khedive Ismail's 19th-century palace in the heart of Cairo, the official seat of Egypt's royal household until the 1952 revolution.
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The story
Abdeen Palace is a 19th-century Cairo palace built by Khedive Ismail, begun in 1863 and completed in 1874 according to the Cairo governorate. It served as the Egyptian royal household's main official residence from the 1870s until the 1952 revolution, after which it became one of the presidential palaces. It stands in the Abdeen district, part of Khedival Cairo to the west of Historic Cairo. While it was being built, Ismail ordered Cairo to be laid out in European style with broad squares and wide streets, so the palace is seen as the start of modern Cairo. Parts of it are open to visitors as museums (arms, presidential gifts, historical documents, royal belongings and silverware).
Good to know
- The palace was the royal household's main official residence until the 1952 revolution.
- It was built under Khedive Ismail, who ordered Cairo to be re-planned on European lines.