This exceptional museum is of great historic and personal interest in Egypt and has long been close to the heart of Egyptians. Outside this building erupted the Egyptian revolution, not that of 2011, but the 1919 Revolution. Beit el-Umma is located in the Mounira district of Cairo and was the home of Saad Zaghloul (1859-1927), a popular nationalist leader in the early 1900, and his esteemed wife Safiya. The house was known as Beit el-Umma (House of the Nation), as Zaghloul would often hold meetings with the Egyptian cabinet in his own home. It was said that one day, when he was in a meeting with some friends, a discussion erupted and he asked them: How can you speak with me like that? Are you insulting me in my home? They replied that it is not just yours; it is Beit el-Umma. Zaghloul was calmed by the response, and since then house has been known as Beit el-Umma. Zaghloul was born in the Kafr el-Sheikh Governorate of Egypt's Nile Delta. For his post-secondary education, he attended Al-Azhar University in Cairo. In the 1880s, he became politically active, for which he was arrested. Upon his release from prison, he practised law and distinguished himself; amassed some independent means, which enabled him to participate in Egyptian politics, then dominated by the struggle-moderate and extreme – against British occupation; and effected useful and permanent links with different factions of Egyptian nationalists. His contacts with the Egyptian upper class led to his marriage to Safiya, the daughter of the Egyptian prime minister Moustafa Pasha Fahmi, whose friendship with Lord Cromer, then the effective British ruler of Egypt, accounts in part for the eventual acceptability of Zaghloul to the British occupation. In succession Zaghloul was appointed judge, minister of education (1906–1908), minister of justice (1910–1912); in 1913 he became vice-president of the Legislative Assembly. He became increasingly active in nationalist movements, and in 1919 he led an official Egyptian delegation (or Wafd, the name of the political party he would later form) to the Paris Peace Conference demanding that the United Kingdom, which had occupied Egypt from 1882, formally recognise the independence and unity of Egypt and Sudan (which had been united as one country under Mohamed Ali Pasha). The British in turn demanded that Zaghloul end his political activity. When he declined, they exiled him to Malta, and later to the Seychelles. Zaghloul's absence caused widespread disturbances and protests in Egypt, ultimately leading to the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, which was a countrywide revolution against the British occupation of Egypt and Sudan. It was carried out by students, women, the elite, civil servants, traders, cultivators, workers and religious leaders. The revolution led to Britain's recognition of Egyptian independence in 1922, and the implementation of a new constitution in 1923. One enters Beit el-Umma from the main gate into an attractive garden that surrounds the house; on the right there is a statue of Saad Zaghloul. Going up the marble staircase, one feels the presence of Zaghloul Pasha and his wife. Most of their furniture came from France, while most of the carpets are Persian. On the right is a dining room. The guide indicates the chair which Saad Zaghloul used to sit on, with Safiya on his right hand and on his left, his sister Ratiba, the mother of Ali and Moustafa Amin, who became fathers of modern Arab journalism during 1960s. After they ate they sat in the same room, but on a sofa to drink coffee. This was a tradition in Saad's house which they followed until their last days. There is a small salon, which was used by Saad to host members of the Egyptian cabinet and Al-Wafd Party members. There is a sofa that belonged to Safiya. It is said that when Zaghloul was arrested, Safiya used to meet people in this room, but sitting on the sofa not on Saad's chair. Safiya was called Om el-Masriyeen (Mother of all the Egyptians), emanating from her participation in the endeavours for the Arab world and Egypt in particular, when she went out with the women protesters to demand independence during the 1919 revolution. She carried the banner of the revolution when her husband was exiled and contributed directly and actively in the liberation of Egyptian women. The most interesting part of the lower floor is Saad's office where his pencils are still on the desk. He would sit with his back to the window and because of that, he had a gigantic mirror installed on the opposing wall so that he could monitor what was happening behind him. He apparently did this to keep an eye out for possible would-be assassins. The upper level gives the visitor more insight into their private life and is reached through the white marble staircase, its landing surmounted by two stuffed parrots; one on the right and the other on the left. It is said that in their prime the right one used to speak Arabic and tell Saad every morning 'Yahia Saad' (long live Saad) while the other declaimed it in French. From their love of him, they refused to eat after his death in 1927 and died three days later. From here one enters Safiya's dressing room, where there is still clothing on hangers, including many lace pieces, and also her shoes. From the window, she used to throw a flower towards his neo-Pharaonic mausoleum, which she had built near the house. The most touching object in this room is the built-in wall calendar. The date is set to August 23 1927, the day that Saad Zaghloul died. Their bed room is quite large with a pink decor. Saad used to sit on a big sofa and read for an hour before sleeping. There are some woven clothes made by Safiya. In a vitrine there is Saad's suit, which he was wearing in Alexandria when he was shot by an English student. The remnants of his blood are still on the suit. Saad's dressing room has many suits, bottles of cologne and a number of sticks, made from ivory and wood. The walls throughout the house are full of different pictures of Saad, Safiya and their families and friends, but in this room there is a special photo of two babies named Saad and Safiya. Saad and Safiya Zaghloul did not have any children. However, there was a family that loved Saad and his wife so much that they named their children after them. The bathroom has interesting details, including a large shower, which worked by solar power, while another place was used by Saad as a sauna. There is a lift inside the house installed for Saad to use after he was shot and became ill after this attack. The above description is of the main features of the house but it is memorably permeated with the essence of the loyalty, revolutionary ardour and love between Saad and Safiya Zaghloul. Visiting hours at Beit el-Umma, Mounira, near Saad Zaghloul Metro Station, are 10am to 5pm, every day except Mondays.
