Manial Palace is an often overlooked tourist attraction in Cairo, despite the fact that it consistently gets very favourable ratings on various travel-related websites. Of course, there is literally an almost infinite number of Cairo Tourist Attractions, and most people who visit the country simply don’t have enough time to visit even a small fraction of them.
However, if you are going to be in Cairo for a few days, and you are trying to compose a list of must-see attractions, then by all accounts, Manial Palace is an attraction worth considering.
If you are expecting to see an unimaginably opulent palace which is overflowing with historical artefacts, then the Manial Palace may not be the ideal place for you to visit. To some extent, one could almost say that the Manial Palace is not really a palace at all, given that from the outside it is nothing like most other royal palaces one can see, both in Cairo and further afield.
However, if you would like to get a feel of how royalty lived during the 19th and early 20th centuries, then Manial Palace and its museum is an attraction which we would definitely recommend visiting.
It is also a fantastic place to visit if you need a break from the frantic hustle and bustle of Cairo. The vast gardens offer a wonderful sense of serenity, while the interior of the museum has plenty of wonderful artefacts on display. There are also plenty of stained glass windows which help you to capture some truly mesmerizing photos.
The Manial Palace Estate is best-known for its 5 distinctive buildings, each with its own unique style, and also for its beautiful blend of Persian gardens and English landscaped gardens. There’s also a forested nature park and a hunting museum that used to belong to Egypt’s late King Farouk.
Manial Palace, along with the estate on which it was built, has been preserved and designated as a historic house museum by Egypt’s Antiquities Council. It is located in southern Cairo, in the Sharia Al-Saray area of the El-Manial district.
The palace was built by the late King Faroud’s uncle, Mohammed Ali Tewfik, and took several years to complete, from 1899 to 1929.
The palace once housed King Farouk's extensive art collection, as well as his clothing; silverware, and Objets D’Art collections. While many of the original pieces are still on display at the Manial Palace, others have been relocated to other museums.
Manial Palace is nothing like most royal palaces, but that in itself helps to make this a very nice and unique attraction to visit when you are in Cairo.
It has a rich and interesting history; it gives visitors a wonderful insight into how royalty lived at the time; it contains many amazing artefacts; it has a truly splendid garden, and it offers visitors a delightful break from the chaos of Cairo.
