Ras El Tin Palace

Coordinates: 31°11′57.1″N 29°52′7.1″E / 31.199194°N 29.868639°E / 31.199194; 29.868639
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Ras el-Tin Palace
)

Ras El Tin Palace
The palace seen from the Port of Alexandria, 1983
Ras El Tin Palace is located in Egypt
Ras El Tin Palace
Location within Egypt
General information
TypePalace
Architectural styleItalian Renaissance
Town or cityAlexandria
CountryEgypt
Coordinates31°11′57″N 29°52′07″E / 31.19917°N 29.86861°E / 31.19917; 29.86861
Current tenantsPresident of Egypt
Construction started1834
Completed1847
ClientMuhammad Ali Pasha
Technical details
Floor area17,000 m2 (180,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Ernesto Verrucci-Bey

Ras El Tin Palace (

Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, it was a royal palace
. Ras El Tin Palace is the oldest royal Egyptian palace still in use.

History

The palace is located in the Ras el-Tin quarter of Alexandria overlooking the city's Western Harbour.

Pharos.[2] The palace has a long historical association with Egyptian royalty. It is one of few palaces in Egypt to witness the initiation of the long-lasting Muhammad Ali dynasty by Muhammad Ali Pasha (r. 1805–1848) during the early 19th century. A number of foreign architects and engineers were commissioned by Muhammad Ali for the design and construction of the palace.[3]
Building activities began in 1834, taking eleven years to complete the original design in 1845. Complementary work and the construction of additional wings continued for two more years until 1847, when it was officially inaugurated.

Built on a rise above the harbour on the eastern seashore of Alexandria, the palace is one of a number of construction developments in the city initiated by Muhammad Ali to serve as a vice-regal palace. Initially based on the shape of a Roman fort,

Egyptian Revolution of 1952 the penultimate monarch of Egypt and Sudan, King Farouk, sought refuge in the palace where he was besieged by Egyptian army forces.[8] Farouk signed his abdication in the palace and departed from it to leave Egypt and go into exile.[9] The palace was subsequently nationalized, as were the other former royal palaces in the country. It was used as a presidential residence and for hosting state guests.[4]

Style

Ras El Tin Palace on a postcard

Ras El Tin Palace has the shape of a large Italian Renaissance palace, with architectural elements and ornamentation inspired by that era, along with Baroque and Moorish elements.[9] It was erected on a foundation of 17,000 square metres (4.2 acres), surrounded by elaborate gardens of 12 feddans (13 acres). Fig trees (Arabic – teen) were already on the palace site, inspiring its name Ras Al-Teen. Through the reign of successive kings the complex was used as their residence and the government headquarters during the summer season.

Various rulers made changes to the palace. It was totally reconstructed by

François Linke, on a scale not seen since Versailles 200 years earlier.[11] At one end of the building was the harem, but this had become disused.[7]

After the

King Farouk
had a marine pool built on the Mediterranean breakwater. The pool was linked to Ras Al-Teen with a narrow and long paved lane atop the breakwater, with a jeep used to pass through waves breaking over it. The adjacent pool house included a sitting room, bed chamber, fully equipped small kitchen, and rooms for staff and storing recreation and fishing gear.

Current usage

The formal garden is open to the public, but not the palace itself.[1] A naval base is located next to the palace.[12] The palace has been used for hosting state guests and events in recent years. There is no public museum, unlike the Montaza Palace royal gardens and museum, also in Alexandria.

See also

References and notes

  1. ^
    ISBN 9781409323334
    .
  2. ISBN 9789774161926
    .
  3. ^ including Yezi Bek, his assistant La Vial, and Le Veroige.
  4. ^ a b c "Ras el Tin Palace: description, facts, history, photo". Sharm Club. 12 December 2018.
  5. ISBN 9781780763576
    .
  6. ISBN 9781904381280
    .
  7. ^
    ISSN 0024-3019
    .
  8. ^ Paul Crompton (25 January 2014). "The overthrow of Egypt's King Farouk: a dramatic departure from power". Al Arabiya English.
  9. ^
    ISSN 0024-3019
    .
  10. ^ cost = L.E$400,000
  11. ^ Christopher Payne, François Linke 1855–1946, The Belle Époque of French Furniture, Antique Collector's Club 2003, p.269
  12. ^ Kibler, Joan F. (March–April 1996). "Alexandra team wrapping up pier, ship support facilities, at navy base". Transatlantic News. Vol. 11, no. 3. Public Affairs Office, Transatlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. p. 6.

Media related to Ras el-Tin Palace at Wikimedia Commons

31°11′57.1″N 29°52′7.1″E / 31.199194°N 29.868639°E / 31.199194; 29.868639

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ras_El_Tin_Palace&oldid=1205373062"