Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, Prime Minister ( PM) and Dr Khalid El Enani, Minister of Antiquities, have inspected project of developing Royal Carriage Museum(RCM) at Boulaq Abu Ella, Cairo.
The Ministry of Antiquities plans to reopen that museum next December.
Dr. Hussein Bassir, Director of Antiquities’ Museum at Alexandria Bibliotheca, said that RCM is one of the historical museums in Egypt, adding that Egypt houses three types of museums.
Those types are: The national museums like Egyptian Museum at Tahrir, the provincial museums in governorates and the historical museums.
Dr. Bassir pointed out that RCM is one of the most important museums.
It shows carriages that were ridden by kings, queens and princes who attended the ceremony of opening the Suez Canal in the second half of the 19th century.
That museum was relocated to the Citadel of Saladin ahead of moving it again to its original place at Boulaq Abu Ella.
It is worth mentioning that Boulaq is an important historic area in Cairo. Egyptian Museum was first established there before moving it to Tahrir.
Boulaq houses Museum of Royal Carriage as Khepe Ismail Pasha ( 1830-1895) planned Cairo to become as a piece of Europe.
RCM had been a stable before Ismail Pasha decided to convert the stable to a museum to keep carriages of rulers of Egypt since the 19th century.
Some contents of the museum were relocated to Citadel of Saladin where they were shown in a museum there in 1983.
Eng. Wa’ad Abu Ella, Head of Department of Projects of the Ministry of Antiquities said that developing of RCM has begun since 2001.
Development of RCM stopped many times throughout the last eight years. But work was started again in 2017.
Engineers are still working to refurnish the building, restoring facades, alarming methods, insuring against theft and fixing modernized systems of lighting and fire fighting All spaces will be exploited to serve visitors.
Halls were prepared for screening documentary films about the royal carriages of Muhammad Ali dynasty, cafeteria and an elevator for people with special needs.
About 80% of project of developing the museum was completed.
Tamer El Menshawy, an archaeological researcher, said that RMC proves the civilized that period of modern history of Egypt.
Ismail Pasha ordered to build that museum, the Opera House.
King Foaud I, son Khepe Ismail, added to RMC.
RMC houses carriages, stables. Some of those carriages dated back to the era of Mohamed Ali Pasha.
Queen Eugenie of France ( Spouse of Napoleon III) had presented a carriage to Khepe Ismail.
RMC houses 78 royal carriages with their harnesses, workshops, apartments for coaches, offices and chambers for first aid respondents.
The museum houses various types of royal carriages which were used in receiving kings and ambassadors when they came to Egypt.
Those carriages were known as the great battalion which was drawn by a group of horses.
They were shown in five halls.
Carriages of members of Mohamed Ali Pasha Dynasty appeared at a distinguished part of the museum.
Princes and princesses rode the royal carriage over official and personal ceremonies .
The fourth hall contains uniforms of coaches of the royal carriage.
Meanwhile, the fifth hall contains accessories of horses such as saddles, horseshoe, reins and others.
Contributed by Ahmed Moamar
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