Manasterly Palace is considered a masterpiece of art and architecture. It is also known as a kiosk. It overlooks directly on the Nile River, where the palace is located on the island of Rawda in Manial, close to the Nilometer.
The history of this palace:
The owner of the palace is Hassan Fouad Pasha El Manasterly. He calls El Manasterly because he came from the city of Manaster in Macedonia. Hassan Pasha was governor of Cairo during the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmy in 1851. Also, he was a representative of the Ministry of the Interior.
Manasterly Palace witnessed important historical events, as it witnessed the founding of the League of Arab States and was the seat of its sessions for a while.
In the main hall of the palace, there is a picture of King Farouk, Abdulrahman Pasha Azzam, founder of the League of Arab States, and King Abdulaziz Al Saud. Also, the palace witnessed several meetings between King Farouk and Arab rulers after World War II to discuss the establishment of the Arab League in 1947.
This palace remained owned by the family of Mohammed Ali Pasha until 1951. Then it became owned by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority as a historical monument.
The design of this palace:
The palace begins with a long corridor filled with trees. Then a large hall where there is a mosque for the residents of the palace and a statue of Fouad Pasha El Manasterly. Then the palace, which is an architectural masterpiece, built on an area of 1,000 square meters.
The palace consists of a main rectangular hall. To the west of this hall, there is a second hall. Next to this hall, there are two rooms connected with bathrooms and a balcony overlooking the Nile.
In the palace, there is a music room with a dome-shaped ceiling that leads to the spread of the music throughout the room. This palace is hosting concerts until 2009.
The palace characterizes by its beautiful ceramic style. Its walls and ceiling are decorated with plaster motifs, and the floors of the halls are covered with marble and parquet.
There is a wooden bridge connected to the palace called El Manasterly Bridge.