Umm Kulthum Museum

The Umm Kulthum Museum is housed in the Monastirli Palace and displays personal belongings, photographs, recordings, and documents of this celebrated Egyptian singer. The rooms show her career through manuscripts, musical notes, films, and awards from different periods of her life.

The institution was founded in 1998 by the Ministry of Culture and occupies a section of the Monastirli Palace on Roda Island. The palace itself dates to the 1800s and originally served as a private residence before being converted for this purpose.

The museum shows how this singer shaped Arab music and remains deeply respected in households across the region. Her recordings and handwritten notes reveal why she mattered so much to millions of people over many decades.

The museum offers several computer stations where visitors can explore recordings, concert photographs, and newspaper clippings. The best time to visit is during cooler morning or evening hours, especially if you plan to explore Old Cairo as well.

The museum preserves personal letters exchanged between the singer and various political leaders of her era. This correspondence reveals her connections to influential figures and shows how deeply she was woven into the political circles of her time.