Conservation and Renovation of the Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria by Dr. Aly Raafat
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The BA Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Center (Alex-Med) is organizing a book launch for the book titled Conservation and Renovation of the Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria: A Historical, Analytical, and Architectural Study on Tuesday, 7 March 2017 at 7:00 pm at the BA. The event is also an opportunity to honor the book’s author Dr. Aly Rafaat, professor of Architecture at Cairo University and winner of the Nile Award for the Arts.
The renovation process documented in the book affirms that the conscientiousness of the architect, Dr. Aly Rafaat, his awareness of the heritage and architectural value of the museum, and his respect for it lead to a successful process of dealing with heritage buildings and highlight their architectural and historical importance. The significance of this project soared after the demolition, destruction, and misuse of many heritage buildings of great architectural and historical importance in Alexandria. We therefore hope that it will become a model approach for dealing with valuable buildings that should be preserved and repurposed, for they represent part of the nation’s memory, history, and civilization.
With this in mind, the idea of publishing this book came to be in order to present the project of reusing one of the most significant heritage buildings in the city of Alexandria, a project targeting the restoration and re-use of Princess Fatma Al-Zahraa’s Palace as a museum that features the royal jewels of the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.
A team of specialists and technicians led this project and restored the palace’s antiques to their original state, so that the palace visitors can have a glimpse of the documented history of the museum and the jewels of Muhammad Ali Pasha’s family during an important period in Egypt’s modern history.
Dr. Aly Rafaat will present the book and deliver a lecture on the origins and development of Alexandrian architecture from the time of its emergence until the construction of the palaces of Princess Zeinab Fahmy and her noble daughter Fatima Haider Fadel, in the presence of Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the BA, and an elite group of architects and specialists.