85% of Baron Empian Palace Renovations Completed

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has completed nearly 85 percent of Baron Empain palace’s renovation. The Palace, located in Heliopolis, is due to be inaugurated during this current year.

“The renovations are in full swing and supervised by Armed Forces Engineering Authority,” assistant antiquities minister for engineering affairs Hesham Samir said.

“The construction work on the roof of the palace has been completed. So has the work on the facades, ceilings, marble columns, wooden doors, metal windows, the mural above the main entrance and the marble statue,” he added, revealing that the project cost LE100 million.

“In order to maintain the authenticity standards, the non-monumental iron fences which were built around the palace in 2006 have been removed because of their poor condition,” Samir noted, adding that they are not compatible with the archaeological and architectural value of the palace.

A heritage exhibition on the history of Heliopolis through various ages will be established in the Palace by Antiquities Ministry in cooperation with the Belgian embassy in Cairo and civil society associations in Egypt.

Noteworthy, the Baron Empain Palace, better known as Le Palais Hindou is a distinctive and historic Indian-inspired mansion in Heliopolis.

The palace was designed by French architect Alexandre Marcel and decorated by Georges-Louis Claude. Inspired by the Hindu temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, it was built between 1907 and 1911, in reinforced concrete.

Contributed By: Nada Mustafa