Islamic heritage · Cairo
Gawhara Palace
Muhammad Ali Pasha's lavish palace within the Cairo Citadel, rich in Ottoman-style decoration and now open as a museum.
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The story
Muhammad Ali Pasha commissioned the palace in 1814 beside his mosque in the Cairo Citadel; artisans from Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and Albania built it as a two-storey pavilion in the Turkish kushk style. A fire destroyed its wooden structure in 1822, after which Muhammad Ali expanded and embellished it, and gunpowder explosions damaged it again in 1824. He then imported large slabs of Italian marble for the vestibule, staircase and corridors. The palace is known for its reception hall and its hall of clocks, and has since become a museum.
Good to know
- The palace is also known as Bijou Palace.
- The French architect Pascal Coste was employed to add residential quarters for servants and functionaries.
- Large marble slabs were imported from Italy to build the vestibule, staircase and corridors.