Weaving a nation’s history at the Textile Museum

Al Masry Al Youm

The building is an architectural piece of art, built by Ali in 1828 as a charity for the soul of his son, Ismail Pasha, who had died in Sudan in 1822. At first, it was a charitable educational facility that provided community services and gaining a functional value that helped it survive and maintain its glamor over the centuries.

It was later turned into the Nahaseen School, before its condition deteriorated with some parts falling off due to age and weather erosion.

But as the Culture Ministry kicked off its Islamic Cairo renovation project in the Gammaliya district, the building was turned into the first and only textile museum of its kind in the Middle East.

Its vast collection displays the history of the textile industry in Egypt, including works from the Pharonic, Roman, Greek, Umayyad, Abbassid, Tulunid, Ottoman, Mamluk and Ayyubid periods.