Nature · Cairo
Helwan Japanese Garden
A public garden in Helwan laid out in the Asian style in the late 1910s to evoke the civilisations of the East.
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The story
The architect Zulfiqar Pasha created the garden around 1919 (some sources give 1917) in the Asian style to symbolise the civilisations of the East, in the Helwan district of Cairo. It was first called the Asian Life Kiosk and later renamed the Japanese Garden; it covers roughly 40,000 square metres and its design was completed in 1922. In 1990 the Cairo Governorate added it to its Specialized Gardens Project. A major development project began in January 2005 to rescue it from neglect, and it was restored to its former glory in June 2006.
Good to know
- Its first name was the Asian Life Kiosk, before it became the Japanese Garden.
- It covers roughly 40,000 square metres and its design was completed in 1922.
- The restoration, completed in June 2006, cost about EGP 5.5 million.
Visiting tips
A 2012 press report described the garden as neglected, with its lake dried up. Please check its current condition and opening hours before visiting.