Royal Museum of Jewelry reopens in Alexandria after 3-year closure

Following a three-year closure due to security concerns, Egypt’s Royal Museum of Jewelry reopened its doors to visitors on Sunday.

According to the Facebook page of the Ministry of Antiquities, Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty decreed that admissions to this museum will be free of charge until the end of October, “in order to encourage visitors to visit this elegant museum, and also to encourage tourism coming to Egypt.”

Located in the Gleem district of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, this museum boasts a total of 924 pieces of jewelry and archeological ornaments (other counts and classifications claim there were 11,500 pieces) previously owned by Egyptian Kings Fouad and Farouk, along with their queens, princes and princesses.

Most of these treasures and trinkets of gold, silver, gems and precious stones date back to the period from 1917 to 1952, when these two monarchs ruled over Egypt. Yet several other pieces on display at this museum reportedly predate the reign of these two kings, with some dating back as early as 1805 and the beginning of the reign of their dynastic founder, Khedive Mohamed Ali Pasha.

Much of the royal family’s jewelry and assets were confiscated by the military junta, which ousted Egypt’s monarchy from rule in 1952.

Originally built in 1919 as a royal palace, authorities revamped this building into a museum in 1986 and opened it to visitors until 2003, when it underwent expansion and renovation works that are estimated to have cost LE41 million (over US$5.7 million).

This museum was briefly re-opened in 2010, but was again closed-down with the advent of the January 25 uprising of 2011.

The Ministry of Antiquities’ Director of the Museums Sector Ahmed Sharaf commented that this museum was closed for three years so as “to protect its rare collection from the insecurity and actions that were witnessed in this period.”

The Museum of Royal Jewelry is reportedly now redecorated and equipped with security devices and surveillance cameras.

The state-owned MENA news agency trumpeted the re-opening of this museum, claiming that it is “an indicator of Egypt’s return to security and stability.”