CONVERTING SAID HALIM PALACE INTO A MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN EDUCATION

S., Ibrahim,; H., Refai,; D., Kandil,; G., Fackler,

doi:10.21608/ejars.2023.330916

CONVERTING SAID HALIM PALACE INTO A MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN EDUCATION

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Ph.D. in Heritage and Museum Studies, Tourism Guidance dept., Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan Univ., Egypt,

² Tourism Guidance dept., Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan Univ., Egypt,

³ Museology dept., German Philology Institute, Julius Maximilian Univ, Würzburg, Germany

10.21608/ejars.2023.330916

Abstract

The palace of Said Halim pasha is considered among the most important palaces in Egypt that dates back to the 19th-century. It still stands proudly at Champollion St., Cairo, keeping some of its older glamour. Despite being empty from its collection, the pink marble palace is highly appraised due to its unique architectural style and decorations. It is a typical representation that reflects the elite lifestyle of its period. Unfortunately, its current status of aban-donment and neglect might cause the loss of such architectural masterpiece that forms a part of Egypt’s rich heritage. Consequently, this paper presents a proposal to safeguard Said Halim’s palace and maintains it as a cultural heritage property through converting it into a "Museum of Egyptian Education". Suggestions for the reha-bilitation of the palace to serve as a museum and a cultural hub as well as the means of building up a museum collection that would suit the character of the palace and deliver its aimed message are discussed thoroughly in this paper. The paper seeks to direct att-ention to this largely abandoned heritage and attract responsible parties to undertake this initiative and contribute jointly to save the palace from further deterioration in the future.

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