Hearing or reading about the daily life of the Egyptian royal family was of great interest to many people. It seems that the royal family was very much aware of people's interest, and as a result it kept a plethora of private objects. We can still see them and be entertained. Abdeen Palace is one of the most wonderful palaces in the world. It was built in 1863 by Khedive Ismail (who ruled Egypt from 1863 -1879) and was completed in 1873. His idea was to move the royal residence from the Citadel to Abdeen Palace, which became a symbol for the modern Cairo that was also built by him. The palace's construction on 25 feddans was supervised by French architect Rousseau (1712 – 1778), a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism of French expression. It cost 100,000 golden pounds (the Egyptian currency at that time) and its furnishings cost 750,000 golden pounds. This palace became the royal residence until King Farouk had to abdicate in 1952. It comprises four museums, which were opened to public in 1998 and one was opened in 2004. When you enter the palace through the Paris Gate overlooking Sheikh Rihan Street, Abdeen, you see that the gate is flanked by two old cannons and neatly stacked balls; a scene that makes you think you're going to meet the Khedive himself. After walking along a path across gardens you enter a hall that contains the oldest and biggest museum, the Arms Museum, established in 1928. Many different types of arms are on display. The royal family received them as gifts or purchased them. There are also armours, swords, daggers and firearms. One armour (composed of a metal suit, a double blade, buckles and a flask for water) weighs 65kg. It was used in Europe in the 16th century. You can see General Rommel's dagger inscribed with the Nazi motto 'Germany, Germany above everything'. King Farouk bought the dagger in an auction. There is also a golden Saudi Arabian dagger adorned with diamonds from the 20th century and a Persian dagger inlaid with diamonds and rubies from the 18th C. I was impressed by how clean the place was and the glass cabinets, red carpets and exhibits. There was absolutely no dust, a rare occurrence in Cairo, and all exhibits sparkled and shone. You will see a sword presented to King Farouk by King George VI of England on the occasion of Farouk's wedding with Farida in 1938. It is made of gold and studded with white rubies. Another sword was presented by the Emir of Kuwait, Abdullah Salem Al-Sabbah, on the occasion of King Farouk marrying the second time, the wedding with Queen Nariman in 1951. There is also a golden sword presented by King AbdelAziz Al-Saud to King Fouad (Farouk's father who ruled Egypt from 1917 - 1936). You can admire daggers from Indonesia, India, Yemen, China, France, Italy, Japanese Samurai swords from the 16th C. and from China. One extraordinary exhibit is a wonderful and rare golden sword inlaid with diamonds, the ‘Sword of Justice and Coronation' used by the Russian tsars. It is a really precious piece made in Germany in the 17th C. King Farouk bought it at an auction for £11,000 pounds. There is a handcrafted Belgian silver pistol adorned with mother of pearl, owned by Queen Farida, Farouk's first wife. King Farouk loved collecting arms. He even managed to acquire one of Benito Mussolini's pistols used in the Second World War. There are two historically unique items, two first-generation Colt guns, presented to Khedive Ismail on the occasion of the Suez Canal's inauguration in 1869. You will be fascinated by pistols shaped like pens, bullet pistols with three barrels, a pistol in the shape of a turbine, a carbine decorated with polychrome enamel and pistols inlaid with red coral. They were made in France, Belgium and the US. Adjacent to the Arms Museum is another museum for medals and decorations, established in 1928 by King Fouad. It houses a large collection of King Farouk's belongings. The collections of medals and decorations were either purchased by the royal family at international auctions or given to them as gifts by foreign kings and heads of state. The medals and orders come from 46 countries, there are also Egyptian ones in gold, silver and bronze from the royal era. There is collar of King Fouad dating from 1936, a Nile order dating back to 1926, and Mohamed Ali Pasha's collar from 1923. You can admire the highest order bestowed on anybody, the nishan el kamal, reserved exclusively for members of the royal family and politicians. It is made of gold and inlaid with diamonds. There are collars and orders from Spain, Portugal, Jordan, the US, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Turkey, England and France. A large number of King Farouk's European hunting rifles are also on display. They were mainly made in France, Germany and England. Don't miss two interesting items: King Farouk's shisha (water pipe) and his wooden treasure box. The shisha is made of silver and crystal. Next to the exhibit you can see a photo of the king smoking his shisha. The big wooden jewellery box really surprised me. When you give it a cursory glance it looks like any other wooden box, but when you look more closely at it you discover that it was made in 18th C. in France and has eight drawers and two locks. If a thief inserts the wrong key into one of the locks, he puts his life in danger, because the barrels of four hidden guns protrude suddenly from the drawers and fire at him. A rare collection of silver tableware and the Gallé (French glass) collection, and the documents reflecting the social and political life of that era, is housed in the other palace museums. A detailed description of this collection will appear in next week's edition of the Mail.
