This palace is hidden in the middle of quite a busy area. Upon
arrival, one instantly wonders what the urban surroundings must have
looked like in 1897, at the time of its construction.
The area was named after the creator of the Palace, Habib Sakakini
Pasha (1841-1923), a Levantine descent businessman whose family
immigrated to Egypt at the beginning of the 19th century. It is said
that he came to the country when he was 16 years old and worked his
way up, finally becoming a rich contractor. The Arabic name Sakakini
can be translated as "knife-maker", which some say he earned
from his trade in the arms and knives business.
The rococo style and quite fancy architecture of the palace is said
to be taken from an Italian palace that Habib Pasha saw and fell in
love with. He then ordered an Italian company to create a replica of
it in Cairo. The
architectural rococo style of the facades was common at the time in
Europe, but quite rare in Egypt.
He chose quite an impressive site for his home. The palace stands
high in a focal location where eight main roads radiate out, hence
making it the center point of the zone. Acquiring such a
distinguished location normally would have not been an easy task at
the time. However his good connection with the Khedive allowed him
such privileges.
Left: View of the first floor terrace; Right: Main
entrance of the palace
As
architect and researcher Samir Raffat points out, a close
relationship between Habib Sakakini and the Khedive Ismael was
developed when he exported by Camel Express sacks full of famished
cats to the rat-infested Suez Canal Zone. Within days, the rodent
epidemic was resolved. Afterwards, the khedive made good use of the
shrewd Syrian, giving him the daunting task of completing the
Khedivial Opera House, working under the Italian architect Pietro
Avoscani. The task was completed and the Opera House was open in
time for the grand ceremonies of the
Suez
Canal opening on
November 17, 1869. The khedive's gratification
was boundless and hence, Habib Pasha’s contracting business and
status grew even more. Hence, at the very young age of 39, he was given the Ottoman title ‘Bey’.
Habib Sakakini focused much of his efforts on the area known as ‘Fagalla” in Cairo, which later was naturally to become the location of his home. He transformed this entire area from a deteriorating district into an up-market residential area. Later, Rome's Leon XIII awarded Sakakini with the papal title of ‘Count’ in recognition of his services to his community.
View of palace details, statues on the exterior
Today, the
palace, with its conical and onion shaped domes and its
medieval gargoyles and steeples, seems to be misplaced in the midst
of the traffic and modern buildings. Nevertheless, this invaluable
architecture still stands proud, though in somewhat of a neglected
state.
Designed by Italian architects, it embodies the art of rococo. The
bureau that supervised the building process stipulated that no
amendments were to be introduced to the palace unless under their
supervision.
The exterior of the palace misleads one regarding its size. A look
from the outside would never give the impression that the palace
contains expansive space and vast interiors. The palace is five
stories high with a total floor area of 2,698 square meters. Housed
within its walls are 50 rooms and halls with over 400 windows and
doors, and a décor boasting over 300 busts and statues. The bust of Habib Pasha himself is placed above on the
palace’s entrances. The
surrounding gardens are not vast though they do help isolate the
palace grounds from the more modern surroundings. The garden contains
many statues and fountains of rare nature, all of which were created
and designed solely by Italian artists and architects, no doubt
completing the Pasha’s vision of a European palace.
Views from within the ballroom
The interior of the palace still shines in grandeur. The elaborately
laid parquet floors, amazingly decorated ceilings, doors and windows
and even some mirrors all give us a hint of how luxurious the
interiors had been during its day. The dining area still bears its
cupboards and food elevator connecting it with the kitchens.
When Habib Sakakini passed away in 1923, the ownership was divided
among his heirs. Eventually the family gave the property to the
government, though one of Sakakini's grandson's gave his share
specifically to the Ministry of Health. He was a doctor and it was
his way of contributing to the profession. For some years, the
palace was
misused and neglected and certainly the Ministry of
Health was not the best caretaker of the palace.
Although the palace was placed under the care of the Supreme Council
of Antiquities (SCA) when it turned 100 years old, only recently has
it received much attention. Now it is being considered for restoration with the idea of the
building being reused as a museum. Today, a huge project has been launched and
detailed studies are underway to assess the structural stability of
the palace, given that it suffered some extensive damage by the 1992
earthquake. If it is found to be stable, the restoration project is
intended to start immediately.
There is a tentative plan to convert the palace into a museum
devoted to the development of medicine from the time of the pharaohs
through the present day. The idea will be to display medical tools
found during excavations, as well as papyri describing prescriptions
for various illnesses and details related to surgery and dentistry.
The thought of developing such a museum was inspired by the book,
"Egyptian Medicine in the Days of the Pharaohs", published five
years ago by one of Egypt’s distinguished physicians, Nabil Ebeid.
The book provides a comprehensive study of
pharaonic medicine. It reveals the art of healing in early times
and the high levels of perfection it reached.
A main section of the museum will provide significant information
about the
mummification process, since embalming was one of the medical
branches in ancient Egypt. The museum will also include a collection
from the
Islamic Museum consisting of surgical tools, scales that were
used to weigh drugs, perfumes and ointment, and rare medical
prescriptions.
Other sections are to include surgical tools of the
Byzantine age
which are currently on display in the
Coptic Museum. It will also include a statue of the Greek god of
medicine as well as other medical related statues. Finally an
ancient Egyptian collection will be on display including tools that
belonged to Kar, the senior physician of the royal family of the
fifth dynasty. His cartouche was found on each of his instruments.
The gardens are to be planted with herbal plants and papyrus. Such a
scheme might well be the only way to revive the abandoned palace and
avoid any more decay or damage to this unique piece of architecture.
The palace is actually open to visitors today. The caretaker will be
more than pleased to show people around. It is quite an interesting
experience visiting it before any of the work commences. While
walking through the empty abandoned rooms, one can picture all its
past glory. The gardens are frequently visited by students of art
schools, who sit for hours painting the delicate and impressive
statues that proudly stand guarding the grounds.
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Last Updated: 11/20/2006