Built in the nineteenth century as a miniature Versailles by the wealthy Greek-Egyptian magnate Sir John Antoniadis, Villa Antoniadis is just one of the many jewels which Alexandria, the Pearl of the Mediterranean, has to display. And yet, even though it lies within very close proximity to Sidi Gaber Railway Station and within a few minutes' walk of the airport, it is one of the least visited of Alexandria's attractions. A wealthy palace for a once-wealthy group, Villa Antoniadis still remains an exclusive place. In its day it was the place to be seen and was the gathering place for Alexandria's elite. Lavish entertainments, both inside and outside the house, where guests were serenaded by military bands on summer evenings, on lavish lawns and amidst splendid and exotic greenery, were the villa's speciality. The beautiful statues within the grounds, from Classical Greece and Rome and from the most modern salons in Europe, were one of the very reasons for those grounds being laid out. A showcase palace for a wonderful private collection. The house itself, built in the European style for people whose tastes were European and not Egyptian, has four floors in total. The basement has an area of just over four hundred square metres and the splendid ground floor, once filled with the very latest furniture, mirrors and chandeliers from the salesrooms of Paris, Rome and Athens, covers an area of just over one thousand metres. The upper floor, like its counterpart downstairs, has fifteen sumptuous rooms, covering an area of nearly nine hundred square metres. Finally, there is a roof area, so useful for taking those cooling breezes on summer nights, which covers just under five hundred square metres, making a total surface area of nearly three thousand square metres. A splendid place indeed in which to live and entertain. In the 1920's the Baghdad-born Jewish architect, Joseph Smouha, had created a district in the south west of the city which was meant to resemble Heliopolis in Cairo. It would be a place of residence and repose for the upper middle classes. Wealthy Alexandrians flocked there. Villa Antoniadis was on its doorstep. In 1907, the Zoological and Botanical Gardens of Alexandria had been established on twenty five acres of land adjacent to the villa. The house itself is now surrounded by the Antoniadis Gardens, the Flower Garden, the Zoo and Nozha Gardens. Driving past now on the way to the airport, the tall royal palms and stone pines give just a glimpse of the rare and precious trees which were gathered to fill the garden. On this spot the Roman general Pompilius prevented an attack upon the city by the king of Syria. On the same spot, the victorious general Amr Ibn Al-As pitched camp before taking the city and then the whole of Egypt. After his death, Sir John's son bequeathed the villa and gardens to the city of Alexandria. For a while it was used as a state reception house for visitors like the kings of Belgium, Greece and Italy, as well as the Shah of Iran. It was also the venue for an agreement signed between Egypt and the British, which promised some limited independence to the country. Time has not been kind to the house, especially since 1970, and parts of it fell into serious disrepair. The furniture had to be taken away for safe keeping. After the Revolution of 1952, parts of the grounds were added onto the adjacent zoo. On the whole, though, the gardens remained in a good condition. It is said that the area now covered by the Antoniadis Gardens was once a residential area where Callimachus, the head librarian of the Alexandria Library used to live. In keeping with that tradition, a memorandum was signed in 2006 between the Onassis Foundation and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, to restore the Villa and its grounds to its former glory. Two and half million dollars would be spent to restore the house, one million dollars would be spent to restore the Gardens and a further half a million dollars to restore the furniture and fittings. The Villa will become a Research Centre for the study of Alexandria and its links with the Mediterranean. The place will be known as the Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Centre. A Euro-Med partnership indeed. Muslims read in the Holy Qur'an in Surat Al-Kahf: For them will be Gardens of Eternity; Beneath them rivers will flow: They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, And they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade; They will recline therein on raised thrones, How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on! 18:31 Even though vast sums are being spent to restore the Villa and its grounds to its former glory, one cannot help wondering about the ordinary Egyptians who live just metres from its styled and manicured hedges. Research is important. Antiquities are precious. The dialogue between cultures and civilisations is a pressing need in today's world. But how much more precious are the simple men and women looking for bread to feed their children within the villa's shadow. In his day, Sir John Antoniadis looked outwards across the Mediterranean for both inspiration and approval. In our own day, we must never forget what is really important in this life and in the hereafter, seeking inspiration and approval not from overseas, but from the real treasures who pass us by each day on the street. With a proper perspective, we shall prepare for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters, Gardens beyond belief, which all the teams of gardeners in the world cannot even approach in beauty, no matter how hard their masters exhort them to.
British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, is a lecturer at Al-Azhar University. The author of eight books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.
