Cairo, Egypt - December 24, 2017:  Mihrab of Manial Palace mosque decorated with intricate golden patterns on carved wood, muqarnas in arch, bright blue tiles inside of niche, on December 24 in Cairo

Getty Images

Manial Palace

Top choice in Cairo


After a years'-long restoration period, this palace complex, built by the uncle of King Farouk, Prince Mohammed Ali, in the early 20th century, has once again thrown open its doors to the public as a quirky museum. Its interiors and architecture are a fascinating merging of Ottoman, Moorish, Persian and European rococo styles, while the gardens (still closed to the public at the time of research) are planted with rare tropical plants collected by the prince.

You enter the grounds through the Reception Palace, with its grand halls for receiving guests decorated lavishly with tiles, chandeliers and carved ceilings. In the Residential Palace check out the Blue Salon, where battered leather sofas sit against walls decorated with glorious blue faience tiles and Orientalist oil paintings. Then head to the Throne Palace for the Throne Hall's gaudy gold-styling, and the eye-popping rococo and baroque overload of the Aubusson Room. Even Manial Palace's mosque (with rococo-inspired ceiling) and clock tower (based on Moroccan Almohad-era minaret design) are a marvellous mesh of influences.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Cairo Zoo

0.85 MILES

In a city not known for green spaces, this zoo is a haven for local families who come here to picnic and kick a ball about as well as gawk at the animals…

2. Mr & Mrs Mahmoud Khalil Museum

0.89 MILES

In 2010 this museum gained global notoriety when art thieves nicked Van Gogh's Poppy Flowers (valued at US$50 million) right off the wall in broad…

3. Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum

0.93 MILES

Mukhtar (1891–1934) was the sculptor laureate of independent Egypt, responsible for Saad Zaghloul on the nearby roundabout and the Egypt Reawakening…

4. Garden of Freedom & Friendship

0.98 MILES

Across Midan Saad Zaghloul from the Andalus Garden, on the southwest side, is the entrance to the grandly named Garden of Freedom and Friendship, much…

5. Omar Makram Mosque

1 MILES

Omar Makram Mosque is the place where anybody who's anybody has a funeral.

6. Museum of Modern Egyptian Art

1.04 MILES

This vast collection of 20th- and 21st-century Egyptian art is set in the green, well-groomed Gezira Exhibition Grounds, across from the Cairo Opera House…

7. Arab League Building

1.09 MILES

This building (a good landmark in the vast Midan Tahrir area) hosts occasional gatherings of leaders from around the Middle East.

8. Andalus Garden

1.1 MILES

One of several formal gardens in the Gezira area that are popular strolling spots for couples in the evening. This one’s small, but adjacent to the Nile,…