Family · Giza
Orman Garden
One of Egypt's most famous botanical gardens, laid out under Khedive Ismail and home to a lotus pond, rose gardens and cactus collections.
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The story
Orman Garden in Giza was founded in 1875 under Khedive Ismail, on a larger site than it occupies today and as part of the Khedive's palace grounds. He entrusted its design to the French landscaper Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps. It became a public botanical garden under the Ministry of Agriculture in the early twentieth century. It lies west of the Nile and east of Cairo University, and a small botanical museum there holds herbaria from Ismail's era and furniture from King Farouk.
Good to know
- The garden covers about 28 acres.
- Its best-known feature is the lotus pond, alongside a rock garden, a rose garden and cactus gardens.
- "Orman" is a Turkish word meaning "the forest".
Visiting tips
Wikivoyage lists hours of 9:00 to 16:00, but the garden has been under recent redevelopment together with the neighbouring Giza Zoo. Please check that it is open, and the hours and ticket price, before visiting.