A mausoleum fit for a king

Egypt Daily Star News (David Stanford)

A good article about the restoration of the mausoleum of Khedive Tewfiq. The article gives background details to the Khedive, describes the construction of the mausoleum and then goes on to look at the restoration project headed by conservation architect Agnieszka Dobrowolska

His funeral took place the day after his death. The body was taken to the Eastern Cemetery of the City of the Dead, which contains the remains of several past rulers of Egypt, among them the descendents of the great 19th century ruler Mohamed Ali.

He was laid to rest beneath a cenotaph of ebony inlaid with mother of pearl and bronze, close by the white marble tomb of Bamba Qadin, wife of Tushun Pasha.

While the area was a green and peaceful spot, Tewfiq’s grieving family resolved to erect a mausoleum in his memory, enclosing his tomb and those nearby. They instructed the architect of the Khedival Palace, Fabricius Bay, to design something suitably grand, and he obliged with a splendid monument in the Neo-Mamluk style.

In 1894 the stone structure was erected, complete with elaborate stucco decorations and a graceful dome, the interior decorated with intricate paintings and gold leaf.

Despite its sturdy construction, the building suffered from damage of various sorts, both natural and man-made, in the following century. Like many other once great mausoleums in the cemetery, it was in danger of being ruined.

Thankfully, due to the intervention of Tewfiq’s great-grandson, Prince Abbas Hilmi III, the mausoleum has now been saved.

See the above page for the full story.