Royal Jewelry Museum – Muhammad Ali’s Legacy in Alexandria

Royal Jewelry Museum – The Museum of Muhammad Ali’s Family and their jewelery

Location and Construction Date of Royal Museum

This museum, built by Zainab Fahmy, a member of the Muhammad Ali family that ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952 AD, contains jewelry for the entire royal family. She built the museum with a new idea in 1919 AD in the Zizinya neighborhood (there is a famous Egyptian series that carries the same name of this neighborhood) in the city of Bride of the Mediterranean, Alexandria City, Egypt.

 

The Royal Jewelry Museum 

Royal Jewelry Museum is called the Jewelry Palace because it was built in the building of Zeinab Fahmy Palace before it was turned into a museum by presidential decree in 1986.

This palace (the Royal Jewelry Museum) was built on Architecturally styled European buildings. It consists of two wings, eastern and western, connected by a transverse corridor. The eastern wing and the western wing have two floors and a basement, and the building is surrounded by a garden filled with plants, flowers, and ornamental trees.

Exhibits and Collection

Royal Jewelry Museum displays jewelry and designs of what the princesses and queens of the royal family in Egypt wore over the years during which they ruled Egypt. This jewelry highlights the fusion of Islamic art and Western European art, a sign that the royal family was committed to its Islamic life and was nonetheless interested in Western fashion. We see it in this museum enough to understand this truth.

Interior Layout – Key Features

The palace was divided into ten halls and included collections of antiques and jewelry belonging to members of Muhammad Ali’s family. This museum is considered one of the most beautiful landmarks.

• Tourism Center in Alexandria, which includes a rare collection
• A wonderful collection of antiques, jewelry, and crafts
• Gold, precious stones, watches encrusted with jewels and diamonds.

 

Museum Size and European Influence

The Royal Jewelry Museum is considered one of the largest museums in Egypt, and the valuable jewelry in it is said to be due to the ruling family’s use of European designers. This confirms what we explained above that the jewelry includes Islamic design while integrating European design, It is said that most of the royal jewelry dates back to the period of Khedive Ismail because he was famous for seeking the help of foreign designers. However, after the July 1952 revolution, which eliminated the last ruling royal family in the history of Egypt, all jewelry belonging to the royal family was confiscated for some time.

The Royal Jewelry Museum contains more than 11,000 pieces of jewelry belonging to the family that ruled for about a century and a half.

The pictures inside the Museum of the Royal Family are placed in gold frames, which gives the pictures their special elegance and luxury so that you feel that the frames themselves are from the ruling family as well.

The museum contains a collection of jewelry belonging to the princesses of the royal family. There is also a special collection for King Farouk, the last ruling king of Egypt, and another collection for King Farouk’s gifts. King Farouk was known for his love of diamonds, and his collection in the museum was also distinguished as it included a stick specially dedicated to the king, made of wood and Gold. His collection also includes cups made of rubies and gold, as well as a toy or “ratchet”  or in Arabic it’s called “ shokhshekha “ studded with diamonds and rubies.

 

 

Display and Elegance

The pictures inside the Museum of the Royal Family are placed in gold frames, which gives the pictures their special elegance and luxury so that you feel that the frames themselves are from the ruling family as well.

Notable Collections

• Princesses’ Jewelry: The museum contains a collection of jewelry belonging to the princesses of the royal family.
• King Farouk’s Collection: There is a special collection for King Farouk, the last ruling king of Egypt, and another collection for King Farouk’s gifts. King Farouk was known for his love of diamonds, and his collection in the museum was distinguished as it included a stick specially dedicated to the king, made of wood and gold. His collection also includes cups made of rubies and gold, as well as a toy or “ratchet” (in Arabic, “shokhshekha”) studded with diamonds and rubies.

Unique Artifacts

• Golden Speculum and Chessboard: The speculum, studded with diamonds, chessboard, and gold cups show how wealthy this ruling family was and their preference for elaborate designs and jewelry.
• Said Pasha’s Era: The museum displays jewelry and collectibles from the period of Said Pasha’s rule and is distinguished by gold watches and badges decorated with gold, whether Egyptian or Turkish.
• Muhammad Ali’s Box: There is also a special box for Muhammad Ali himself, and there are thousands of Coptic, Byzantine, and Roman coins.
• Princess Fawzia’s Collection: Includes a collection of the famous Princess Fawzia, sister of King Farouk, with items such as a diamond-studded belt and a royal ring.
• Special Painting: On the occasion of the opening of the Suez Canal, a famous painting was presented to Khedive Ismail as a gift.

 

Restoration and Reopening of the Royal Jewelry Museum

There has been a long restoration process for the museum to make it easier to visit and enjoy by tourists and locals alike, and it includes adding some facilities to it, such as a café, air conditioning, and a seminar hall.

The museum reopened for visits in 2010 AD during the era of former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak. However, his wife, President Suzanne Mubarak, was responsible for its opening.

 

An Overview of the Mohamad Ali Dynasty

Mohammad Ali, the founder of the dynasty, had a deep love for Egypt. Although he was not originally Egyptian, he ruled Egypt and tried very hard to make it like European countries. he made significant advancements in various sectors, including education, the military, and infrastructure. Muhammad Ali is also renowned for constructing notable landmarks such as the Muhammad Ali Mosque in Cairo City.

 

His family’s influence spanned more than a century and a half. The last ruler was King Farouk, who was overthrown in 1952 during the July Revolution. This revolution, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, marked Egypt’s transition from a monarchy to a republic, with Nasser eventually becoming its president. Prominent figures from Muhammad Ali’s era include Khedive Ismail, Princess Fawzia, and King Farouk.

Conclusion

Royal Jewelry Museum, located in Alexandria, expresses the splendor, elegance, and luxury of the royal ruling family, even the name of the neighborhood in which it is located. The museum is a neighborhood with a good and famous reputation. The museum includes thousands of collectibles from over the years, belonging to princesses, queens, and kings, and even gifts from They are not from this family, but foreigners, and the museum has also been provided with facilities that make it easier to visit. The ruling family of Muhammed Ali is considered the last royal family to rule Egypt, and they express their rule in this museum and leave us with some extremely wonderful collectibles to admire and contemplate on their lives at this time.