Overview of the Al Tahrir Palace

  • Cairo was formed by accumulations and interactions over centuries, shaped by the unique Fatimid urban planning, from the thirteenth century till late sixteenth century.
  • During the reign of Khedive Ismail, in 1863, a general plan was set by the French engineer Housemann to extend Cairo’s area to more than a thousand feddans. In 1874, Housemann built the corniche and bridges, hence, emerged vast and bright squares, and social standards became more sophisticated after the establishment of Garden City and Zamalek districts .
  • At the hub of Cairo and on the outskirts of Garden City, the area was described as "a flower bouquet" from which the luxurious palaces and marvelous houses emerged.
  • In this area, the palace of Princess Naimatullah Kamal El Din –daughter of Khedive Tawfik son of Ismail Pasha, daughter in law of Sultan Hussein Kamel brother of King Fouad I father of the last of Egyptian Kings Farouk I.
  • The Palace was built on a part of the Ismailia Small Palace, next to Kasr El Nil bridge, which now includes the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Omar Makram Mosque and compound of governmental authorities. The Palace is ascribed to its owner Princess Naimatullah Kamal El Din daughter of Khedive Tawfik, and considered one of the rarest existing ancient buildings in this historic spot.
  • Princess Naimatullah granted the palace to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1930, to be the new official headquarters of the ministry, as it moved from the old building "Al Bustan Palace" in Al Bustan St. in the downtown to this palace.
  • The palace witnessed the succession of several foreign ministers since 1930 till the time being, and witnessed major international events such as the ratification of 1936 Treaty, the period of World War II, Galaa (Evacuation of Egypt) negotiations in 1954, Suez War in 1956, and other significant international and regional events during the twentieth century.
  • After the restoration of the palace -with keenness on maintaining the original architectural style- and the furnishing process, the Foreign Ministry decided to use it for receiving VIPs, as well as holding meetings and several events.

The palace consists of three floors:

  • Ground floor: which includes the Minister's office, big meeting room, press conference room equipped by an instant translation system, a number of salons to receive guests, and a dining room for 24 persons. The back entrance contains some pictures depicting the different phases of the palace's construction
  • First floor: contains a salon exhibiting pictures of the royal family, presidents, foreign ministers before and after the revolution; a hall exhibiting pictures of the martyrs of the Foreign Ministry, as well as halls for exhibiting dining sets of the Egyptian embassies abroad during the royal era, passports of former foreign ministers and members of the Foreign Ministry, most significant official documents of the Foreign Ministry, models of the code devices, a board containing flags throughout different eras- since the Mamluk era- and seals of different ages. The first floor also includes receptions, a dining room for 48 persons, in addition to the offices of the Minister and his Assistants, as well as a small meeting room that could be used a dining room​
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