| Hidden among the industry is a little greenery and a little history By Kate Durham |
| Once a royal retreat for its sulfur mineral baths, Helwan no longer rates high on the list of weekend getaways. The baths have long since closed, but remnants of the royal family remain.
The 12-acre Japanese Gardens, built in 1917, offer a nice green outing that is pleasant in the spring when the trees are in bloom. The park also has what must be the nation’s largest collection of Buddha statues, including a committee of young Buddhas lining the largest of the ponds and a cheerful chubby Buddha by a stand of elderly bamboo. The ticket to enter the garden cost LE 2.
The three-storey rest house used by King Farouk has been preserved as the Farouk Corner Museum, almost impossible to find behind a monogrammed gate at the entrance to Helwan on Corniche El-Nil. In addition to housing a collection of memorabilia belonging to Egypt’s last king, the museum also occasionally hosts cultural events. Open 8am–3pm, closed Saturdays.
Helwan is also home to the Basheyer Women’s Workshop, a women’s NGO that produces cotton and linen handicrafts decorated with crocheting, knitting and cross-stitching.The organization welcomes visitors from 9am to 2:30pm, and you can purchase ready-made items or place custom orders. The NGO is at 27a Tarek Ibn Ziyad Street, behind the New Helwan Police Station. Contact Marwa Farouk on +2 (016) 686-7098 for more information. Et
The Holy Family in Helwan
One of Helwan’s notable tourist sites is St. Mary’s Church, located on the Maadi Corniche, a couple of minutes away from Maadi’s second entrance.Considered one of the most important churches in the country, St. Mary’s is built on the site where the Holy Family is believed to have departed by boat for Upper Egypt on their flight from King Herod.
Although the building exterior, with its three cross-topped domes, seems modern, the site has hosted a church for more than 1,000 years.In addition to the beautiful icons and mosaics detailing the Holy Family’s journey, the church also shelters a now-dry well that is believed to have been used by the Virgin Mary.
St. Mary’s Church is an active place of worship and also functions as a community center with a spectacular terrace view of the Nile.For more information, visit the church’s website at www.stmarymaadi.org.
By Lamia Hassan
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