Egypt's Civilization Coordination Authority clarifies situation of Ahmed Heshmat Palace in Zamalek

CAIRO – 2 July 2020: Writer Sherif Abdel-Megid made an appeal to save Ahmed Heshmat Palace, an abandoned palace located in Zamalek, in order to preserve Egypt's architectural and cultural heritage.

Abdel-Megid hopes for the palace to turn into a museum of the cultural heritage of the Khedival architecture in Cairo, with a hall dedicated to photographs of Egypt in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Abdel-Megid explained that the palace is located on Ahmed Heshmat Pasha Street. Ahmed Heshmat Pasha was born in 1885 in Kafr Moselha in Menoufia. He was a lawyer, who studied in France and took up the position of minister in the Ministry of Education as well as several other Egyptian ministries and died in 1926.

According to Abdel-Megid, the palace is decorated with sculptures and statues and belongs to the Baroque architectural style. The palace has not been renovated for many years and might be at risk of collapse at any moment.

The palace is also distinguished by the presence of a large tower that overlooks Zamalek district. Despite the small size of the palace, it is characterized by a unique aesthetic appearance.

Mohammed Abu Saada stated that Ahmad Heshmat Pasha Palace is registered in the lists of antique buildings and not the lists of heritage buildings, and thus the Ministry of Antiquities is responsible for it. Therefore, it is subject to greater protection as per the Antiquities Law.