Day 15 (#2): AMA Waterways’ Jordan Land Trip, Cairo and Nile Cruise on AMALilia

La Abdeen Royal/Presidential Palace, Cairo, Egypt
~ 25°C/75°F (at 7 am)

By Paul Bryers

With this post I wrap up my 15 days adventure with AMA Waterways.

And it has been an excellent adventure, thanks to all the AMA staff involved, and in particular, George, Sahem, Mohammed, Mostafa and Jhon.

So, today, AMA outdid themselves with a tour of the La Abdeen Palace followed by a lunch in the magnificent dining room.

La Abdeen District is the home of Abdeen Palace, a 19th-century Cairo palace built by Khedive Ismail and served as the Egyptian royal household’s primary official residence from 1874 until the July Revolution in 1952. Since then it has been one of the presidential palaces.

The lower floor of the palace today is a museum, located in the Old Cairo district of Abdeen.

However, the upper floors (the former living quarters of the royal family) are normally reserved for visiting foreign dignitaries. But AMA managed to get us a private viewing and lunch.

Built under the rule of Ismail Pasha, to become Egypt’s official government headquarters instead of the Citadel of Cairo (which had been the center of Egyptian government since the Middle Ages), this palace was used as well for official events and ceremonies.

The construction started in 1863 and continued for 10 years and the palace was officially inaugurated in 1874.

The palace was designed by the French architect Léon Rousseau along with a large number of Egyptian, Italian, French and European decorators.

A new wing was added by Joseph Urban in 1891.

The palace’s garden was added in 1921 by Sultan Fuad I; the garden today sports a lovely landscaped pool.