How To Find Your Way To Shiny Treasure Within Well-Preserved Unique Mix Of Historical Islamic Architecture Inside Gayer Anderson Museum
A historical spot shows how was the creativity of the Islamic masterpieces in Egypt, finding yourself passing by the gateway of Ibn Tulun Mosque and its majestic minaret until you reach a unique piece of art that shines with the precious antiques in impressive Mamluk and Ottoman architecture. It is Gayer Anderson Museum.
Gayer Anderson Museum is where you will wander in an architectural masterpiece with marvelous Islamic art and
Gayer Anderson Museum by Sailko
decorations in addition to precious antiques that will bright in your eyes, walking through remarkable artworks, treasured furniture, glassware, crystal, valuable carpets, silks, and embroidered Arab costumes in addition to a wonderful and unique collection of paintings from the Egyptian and foreign pioneers of art in the modern era.
Yes, it will be right when you feel that you are inside one of James Bond films. The Spy Who Loved Me movie was taken shots in Gayer Anderson Museum, especially in the Celebration reception hall and the rooftop terrace.
Two historical houses reflect a unique mix of the majestic Mamluk design and the magnificent Ottoman architecture to walk through the 1st house with its vibrant decorations and precious antiques feeling that you will not see magic like that anywhere, but a passage will transfer you to the charm of the 2nd house to walk in the wonder of each room that is considered a special painting. It is a corridor that links these unique Islamic architectural designs that also included Pharaonic and Asian archaeological holdings.
Gayer Anderson Museum by by Sailko
Gayer Anderson Museum will give you the chance to travel through the world seeing the attractive treasure of each country, while you are standing in these two historical houses that include halls to certain civilizations, such as the Chinese, Indian and Persian halls, the European-style Queen Anne hall, and the Pharaonic hall that contains monuments from pre-dynastic times to the Greek era.
Gayer Anderson Museum” or as it also named “Beit El Kertlia, “is unique in its architectural peculiarity, not only because it represents a rare mix of Mamluk and Ottoman eras, or even due to the valuable treasured antiques that bright at each inch, but also because of a rare structure that was not common to exist in Islamic house, it is the “Sabil,” a way to offer freshwater to people.
It was usual at that time to set the Sabil inside a mosque or a mausoleum, and not inside a house, which used to provide people with their needs of water to wudu process, which is a ritual washing doing before the Islamic prayers.
When visiting Gayer Anderson Museum, you can see this exceptional Sabil of the right-hand side section of the ground floor after entering the “Sahan,” to find a room made out of stones and its ceiling contains remarkable geometric decorations with bright colors with a window opening on the street, that was used to give the water to the people.
How Will Be Your Steps Amid Gayer Anderson Museum Historical Treasure
Gayer Anderson Museum by kudumomo
A gateway on a historical Islamic street will attract to charm that will feel you not entering just a historic house, but also you will ride a magical carpet that will take you the treasure of the historical Islamic eras with its shiny colors, find an open courtyard, and in its middle, there is a marble fountain, while there are many pots that take the form of barrels with white marble basins to collect the water coming from the fountain in them, providing fresh water for the people living in the house.
Gayer Anderson house, like any other Islamic house, The Sahan is located in its heart, and all floors and the sections open at the Sahn and not opening towards the exterior of the house, which provides privacy, especially to the ladies of the house, besides, to protect the house against dust and dirt making the air inside the house fresh. So, follow your steps amid this clean atmosphere, wandering through 29 halls filled with antiques.
A staircase located in the horse stable will lead you to the 2nd floor, to be surrounded by vibrantly decorated walls with white and red colors, marvelous Mashrabeya screens that overlook the Sahn, and decorated shelves circling this room with shiny glass items collection, the remarkable ceiling will be above you with many marvelous plants and geometric golden decorations, while valuable colorful seats, colorful pillows and wonderful wooden ashtrays that were decorated with mother of pearl and ivory will attract you, it is the Maqa’ad section, where the people who lived in this house sat, especially men.
Go out of Maqa’ad section and follow the treasured antiques in the walls and the ground till being in the heart of Salamlek Hall, the sitting section for the guests, in this room, you will stand in dazzle seeing pistols that date back to the Ottoman era with their distinctive accurate ornaments. Simultaneously, a collection of swords with different sizes shines towards your eyes, and above you in the ceiling, remarkable decorations with geometrical patterns and Arabic calligraphy.
While you look up to the dark brown wood geometrical patterns decorations, the large copper tray that dates back to the Ottoman period, which located in the heart of Slamlak to used in offering the guests drinks and snacks, will captivate your attention, but another item will catch your eyes fast, it is the white marble shelve where they used to put the “olla,” it is a kind of traditional Egyptian water jug. The precious items of the rugs, treasured vases, and other antiques will make your soul eager to complete this tour amind the charm.
In completely magic, spend a time inside the Celebration Hall dedicated to holding the ritual assemblies; it is one of the most luxurious halls in historical houses in Egypt. In front of you, a magnificent throne chair decorated with ivory and mother of pearl, while an alluring decorated white marble fountain will be in the heart of this glorious section, where you stand on a floor ornamented with different light colors of marble.
Damascene hall will take you to another wonder, as its walls and ceiling covered with wood that was brought from the house of Azem Pasha in Syria, one of the great Syrian pashas, to find floral and geometric motifs decorated with a wonderful poem of poetry, then complete your way to the Turkish hall with a luxurious antique salon that was used at the beginning of the Alawite family era, including the throne seat where Khedive Ismail assumed the rule.
Haramlek Hall, where the women of the house sit, is considered other beauty of Islamic art, with its luxurious décor and furniture, viewing great bed decorated with ivory and a mother of pearl, while valuable candle holders and wonderful paintings surrounding it.
Gayer Anderson Museum by M1key.me
Another suspense is waiting for you in the Museum section of the house, seeing astonishing treasure and rare antiques that Gayer Anderson had collected throughout his stay in Egypt, passing through incredible paintings of unique arts that displayed in only Gayer Anderson Museum beside historical statues like a large statue of Hatshepsut, a statue of the ancient Egyptian god, Bastet, and many glassware and pottery, other antiques. So, who is Gayer Anderson, and Was he who had built this magic house!
Gayer Anderson Museum by Sailko
The main staircase will lead you to the roof, where the women were sitting in the summer. There are many basins of water of different sizes located in various locations on the roof for people to use to wash their hands and faces in the summer.
The History Of Gayer Anderson Museum
Gayer Anderson Museum by Sailko
Not is Gayer Anderson who had built this house, Gayer Anderson Museum consists of two houses, in the Mamluk and Ottoman styles. The oldest house was built in 1540, and it was called (the house of Amna bint Salem) because it was the last one lived in it, and it was built by Muhammad bin Salem al-Jazzar, while the second house dates back to
Gayer Anderson Museum by moorina
the seventeenth century, specifically in 1631, and was built by Abdul Qadir al-Haddad, and the last one lived in it,
was a woman from the island Crete, that was why the house bore this name which is (Beit El Kertlia).
Gayer Anderson was an English officer who completed his medical studies in London and was appointed to the
medical department of the English army in 1904 AD, then moved to the service of the British Army in Egypt in 1907 AD. In 1935 AD, ” Gayer Anderson” submitted to the committee for the Preservation of Arab Antiquities to live in the two houses and gathered rare collections to furnish these houses in the Islamic Arab style, provided that this furniture and his collection of antiquities become the property of the Egyptian people after his death or When he permanently leaves Egypt, the committee agreed.
And as soon as Anderson left the house in 1942, the Two Houses and what was in them were carried out to the Arab Antiquities Service, which made it a museum in the name of Gayer Anderson Museum.
Some Info You Need To Know About Gayer Anderson Museum
- Gayer Anderson Museum is located at 4 Ahmed Ibn Tulun Square, Sayeda Zeinab – Cairo Governorate.
- The available visiting hours for Gayer Anderson Museum are from 9 am to 5 pm.
- The ticket cost of Gayer Anderson Museum is 60 LE.
