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Good Day Travelers!
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By the time you guys read this I finally completed this post. It was actually planed to share this post last week but I unfortunately got sick. Something which happens (luckily) rarely but this time it knocked me out for almost 8 days. But, I fully recovered now and finally can continue posting content about my travels :))
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Today I will share a post about a place full of myths and an historical interesting background. The Baron Empain Palace in Cairo, Egypt. A place which was completely unknown to me until a local recommended it to me during my 3 Week stay in Cairo.
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Throughout the post I will tell you about the history, myths and some interesting facts about this impressive looking palace.
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How to get there?
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The location of the Palace is right in the center of the district Heliopolis, which will also play a big role in this post.
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For the transportation I can only recommend you taking an Uber (It may be the cheapest Uber service on the planet in Egypt). You can roughly say that you pay 1$ for every 10 mins of driving in a car. It really is crazy cheap!!
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As second option there are of course buses and mini shuttles going around Cairo at all times but as Uber is so cheap you can definitely take the more confinient option :))
The Ticket Price for Foreigners is 140 EP (4$) for the garden and building and 40 EP (1.2$) for the roof access (which was unfortunately closed during my visit). Photography will not be separately charged (Some websites will tell you this).
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Baron Empain Palace
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The Palace was created by the famous Belgium engineer, entrepreneur and financier Édouard Empain in 1906. Édouard Empain was especially known for railway construction such as the Metro of Paris, railways around Belgium, France and the Netherlands. For his incredible achievements he got also the Baron title from the King of Belgium at this time.
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In 1910 the palace was completed and the Baron moved in with his wife, daughter and two sons. The main intention of the Barons move to Egypt was to build railway connects inside and outside the country. But more about his fascinating life during the post.
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As you can see, the design and idea about the architecture was heavily inspired by an Indian Hindu temple. When you don't know the story of this palace you would absolutely think that you are going to visit a holy temple.
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You will start your walk at a beautiful garden and slowly make your way up to the palace where a friendly security guard waits to see your ticket.
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Inside of the Palace you can find a lot of information about the life from Baron Édouard Empain. You will learn that he actually had a huge impact on the entire construction and design of the Heliopolis district. He was known for his very unique style which was a combination of Persian and neoclassical European elements and aspects.
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His work made Heliopolis the cultural center of Cairo and the uniqueness of his architecture made it famous around the world. It's really fascinating to learn so much about a person you've probably never heard off! His impact was really massive!
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The spiral stairs you see above play a big part on the many myths going on in this palace. There are different sayings about the ill daughter from the Baron. Some people say that she was treated terrible by her cold hearted father, maybe even locked away for years from society and "hidden", as her illness wasn't something her father would like to show the outside world.
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The second big rumor is about her death. Some people are sure that her father killed her and threw her down the spiral stairs where she was found dead. Others say, she committed suicide at the same exact spot. As no one can confirm what really happened, one thing is very clear - As brilliant the Baron was in architecture, as terrible was he as a human and father.
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When your are done exploring the inside, you can see the backyard of the Palace. Seeing the size and stunning design from the outside really made me think how crazy it is that this entire building was build for a single family.
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Since there are so many myths and rumors, people also say that this place is haunted! Most likely by the ill daughter which death was never clarified. Before the palace became a touristic monument, there were many Satanistic rituals taking place, seeings of ghosts and even strange happenings such as loud music playing in the night. Of course, I cant confirm any of these things - I had actually very peaceful emotions while walking around this place :))
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After walking around this interesting palace I can recommend you going in the garden, buying a snack or a tea and have a seat in the shadow area. At the time I was there it had about 42°C so a little rest was very well needed after walking around for about 2 hours :))
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Can I recommend a visit?
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Yes, yes, yes! I have no doubt that this place is super interesting to visit for really every type of traveler. Beside all the myths its such a beautiful place to visit, there is so much to learn and it's a great half day activity on your visit in Cairo. I really can recommend this place to everyone!
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Thanks for joining me on this little virtual trip!
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Best,
Chris