CAIRO – 1 November 2022: To commemorate the opening of the Royal Chariots Museum, which occurs yearly on October 31, Head of the Museums Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities Moamen Othman dedicated two permanent exhibition rooms that house numerous prestigious antiques.
According to Othman, the first hall displays a collection of jewellery and artefacts from the Alawite family, some of which are on show for the first time.
He mentioned that the collection consists of oil paintings, Queen Farida’s jewellery, an Empress Eugenie gold tray adorned with diamonds, and the wedding chair of King Farouk that was stored in Al-Gawhara Palace.
According to Ahmed el-Sabbagh, director general of the Royal Chariots Museum, the second hall is home to a number of notable artworks, including a salon from the Louis XV era, a collection of oil portraits of Mohammad Ali Pasha, Ibrahim Pasha, and Khedive Ismail, a bust of Khedive Ismail, and another of King Fouad, among other notable works.
A concert, a series of educational and creative workshops, and an art exhibition including a collection of Queen Farida’s oil paintings will all be held during the occasion. A documentary film about the museum and its collections will also be broadcast.
It is noteworthy that the Royal Chariots Museum, which ranks fifth in the world behind the museums of Russia, England, France, and Austria, is one of the rarest and highest-quality museums.
It was constructed in 1863 AD, under the reign of Khedive Ismail, as a stable for horses and a place to store royal chariots.
The museum houses over 470 exquisite antiques, the most notable of which are 40 royal chariots of various sizes and types, as well as a collection of horse sets and their accessories.
Additionally, there are the outfits of the passenger service employees, whose jobs were associated with the carts.
Employees formerly wore distinctive uniforms distinguished by their vibrant and colourful ornamentation.
In the Royal Chariots Museum, two permanent exhibition galleries are now open.
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