Manasterly Palace, Ottoman palace on Rawda Island, Cairo, Egypt
Manasterly Palace is a large rectangular building on Rawda Island featuring wooden architecture decorated with colors, marble floors, and multiple terraces overlooking the Nile River. Gardens surround the structure, and interior halls hold museum exhibits and performance spaces.
Hassan Fouad Pasha al-Manasterly, Governor of Cairo, constructed this palace in 1851 as his residence. Over time, parts of the structure were repurposed, and it eventually became a cultural institution open to visitors.
The palace now serves as the International Music Centre, hosting concerts throughout the year and displaying the extensive Umm Kulthum Museum collection. This musical identity brings performance and remembrance into spaces that once hosted formal ceremonies and gatherings.
The palace welcomes visitors during regular opening hours, with guided tours available in multiple languages to help understand the spaces. Wear comfortable shoes since exploration involves walking through various rooms and outdoor terraces.
Next to the palace stands an ancient nilometer dating to 861 CE that was historically used to measure water levels during the Nile's annual flooding. This device reveals how central the river's rhythm was to the region's survival.
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