Taking a time machine back to Egypt of the 18th and 19th centuries would be an exciting experience. However, Amazon seems to have nothing in the way of time travel devices, so we will have to settle for second-best: the Société Géographie d’Égypte (Egyptian Geographic Society) in downtown Cairo.
Khedive Ismail (1863-1879) set up a geographic society to promote exploration and study the geography of Egypt and Africa.
He asked the German explorer and ethnologist Georg August Schweinfurth (1836-1925) to design the two-storey building, which opened 19 May 1875. It was the ninth geographic society in the world and the first outside Europe and the Americas.
On the first floor of this two-storey building, you can see Egyptian dress from various regions and accessories in silver, ivory, gems and glass.
Copper kitchen utensils are on display. Huge clay pots stored ghee, oil and honey, which were, and are still, ingredients that no household could do without. Two or more centuries ago, Egyptians drank more coffee than tea, judging by the number and variety of coffee pots with handles and caddies.
Less familiar are the types of shisha (hookah tobacco pipe) and their associated tools.
Weddings are also highlighted. The bride’s wooden chair has a small drawer in its right armrest for gold coins that shower the lucky lady on her big day.
Children’s toys in various materials are also on display.
Crafts and industries in Cairo are featured with tools for shoe making, weaving, agriculture and calligraphy.
Along the corridor to the African hall is hung with 19th century lanterns, measuring tools, tattoo drawings, lighting and spinning wheels.
Now you can see weapons, furniture and household tools collected and donated by Egyptian army officers, travellers and explorers.
Two huge elephant tusks flanked the door to the hall that is home to warrior shields, daggers, swords, helmets and war drums.
The hall shows some medical and farming tools in addition to 18th century shishas made of pumpkin and cow horn.
From the Africa Hall we go to the Suez Canal gallery, which was designed by the Suez Canal Company in 1931 on a request from King Fouad (1922-1936).
On display are models showing the stages in the construction of the Suez Canal and a diorama that makes you feel as if you are on a journey from Port Said to Suez during the opening of the waterway.
The society’s library has 40,000 titles. Among them is an edition of the famous “La Description de l’Égypte”, a catalogue of monuments and inscriptions during the Napoleonic expedition to Egypt in 1799.
The society has 500 atlases, including the one compiled by the French Expedition and the national atlas of Egypt of 1928.
The society possesses 12,500 maps of Africa and the Upper Nile. The walls are hung with many maps including that of Arab geographer Mohamed al-Idrisi (1100-1165) featuring the medieval world on a single panel painted in 1154.
The second floor includes a massive auditorium for conferences; its iron columns were imported from Paris.
Egyptian Geographic Society is at 109 Kasr el-Eini Street. Opening hours: 9am to 3pm on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. Since it shares the entrance to the parliament building, there are security measures in force. It is preferable to call the society on 0102- 843-2121 two days before your visit to prepare an entry permit.
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