By; Ahmed Yasser
CAIRO, Jan. 23 (SEE)- El- Manasterly palace” is situated in the south western corner at the end of Al Rawda island.
It is the remaining part of a monument built by Hassan Fouad Al Manasterly Pasha in 1851. His name is a derivative of the city of Monastir in Macedonia near the Bulgarian borders.
The palace was built by ”Hassan Fouad Pasha El-Manasterly” in 1850 who was the first person to carry the title of Governor of Cairo, while ”Saied Pasha” was ruling Egypt, the Manasterly Pasha died in 1858, and he held other many titles such as; representative in the Ministry of Interior and then supervisor of the Interior Ministry.
The palace consists of a main rectangular hall that directly opens to the outside through a door in the southeastern wall preceded by a four-step marble case. The palace is hailed for its splendid ornamented ceilings of various wooden architecture designs.
Dried plastic has been used to produce different greenery shapes and all ceilings have been isolated to protect them from rain as well as the floor in the palace has been covered with marble.
The walls and ceilings of it are garnished with colored greenery ornaments and some birds figures. The influence of the ”Ottoman” rococo is quite obtrusive especially in the buildings of that period which is a European impact. as well as the ”Pharonic” impact is highly discernible in the Corniche at the external fronts of the palace.
The Minister of Culture decided to establish the International Center for Music Palace at the Manesterly Palace in August 2001 to create new musical activity in which melody is presented at its finest level globally.
Since 2002, the International Music Centre, “El- Manasterly palace” with help from the ”Culture Development Fund”, has given a variety of concerts. Each concert is not only an opportunity to listen music played by musicians but a chance to hear to them at the backdrop of deeply attractive surroundings.
