The unique elephant - ET
CAIRO – 7 June 2022: Egyptian museums contain millions of rare artifacts from various ancient Egyptian eras. Each piece narrates a story that is thousands of years old.
Today's artifact is a unique masterpiece. It was gifted to King Farouk from the Shah of Iran Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the first husband of Princess Fawzia, sister of King Farouk.
The piece is an ivory elephant figurine with a gold saddle and a golden canopy, both of which are inlaid with precious stones such as pearl and sapphire. Above the elephant's head are circular ornaments of gold, each ornament studded with four pearl beads, in the middle of which is a light mauve stone.
In the middle of the elephant's head is another ornament of gold, with a light blue stone inlaid with pearls in the middle. Around the neck of the elephant is a chain of gold with a bell hanging, and the elephant's tusks are made of ivory, and are covered with a layer of gold at the tip.
The Royal Jewelry Museum was established to display the holdings of the Alawi Family founded by Mohamad Ali Pasha. The family ruled Egypt for more than 150 years, from 1805 to 1952.
The palace was built in the Zizinia area in 1919 by Zainab Fahmy and was completed by her daughter, Princess Fatima, daughter of Prince Ali Haider, grandson of Mohamad Ali Pasha. It serves as a stunning backdrop to the magnificent properties of the Alawi Family, reflecting the refined taste of the princess in the paintings, gilded ceilings, and mosaics that decorate many of the palace’s rooms.
The palace consists of two eastern and western wings connected by a corridor, each of them consisting of two floors and a basement.
The palace of Princess Fatima al-Zahra was transformed into a jewelry museum in 1986. It spans over 4185 square meters and was built in the European architectural style of the 19th century, with exquisite artistic decoration.
The museum displays the possessions collected by the family throughout their reign in all the magnificent palace halls, reflecting their lavish lifestyle. The jewelry and collectibles that were confiscated in the 23rd July revolution were placed in it, which numbered 11,500 pieces of art and decoration.
Among the museum's holdings is a necklace inlaid with diamonds and emeralds belonging to the founder of the family, Mohammad Ali Pasha; in addition to a golden chessboard; golden binoculars studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds; and golden cups inlaid with precious stones.
It also displays the dazzling jewelry made by the leading designers in Europe, which used to adorn the queens and princesses of the royal family in Egypt.
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