Alexandria has always had a special allure for visitors because of its location on the azure Mediterranean Sea and its cosmopolitan character, being an elegant melting pot of diverse civilisations, cultures, religions and nationalities, all of which have seemed to live in harmony over the centuries.

This has left many monuments from different layers of history that enrich the city and give it its luxurious and sophisticated atmosphere. Some of them belong to Egypt’s monarchical period, making them objects of nostalgia for residents and visitors alike.

One prominent Alexandria landmark that has recently been in the limelight because of the African Nations Youth Football Championship is the Alexandria Stadium with its Royal Pavilion dating back to the time of king Fouad I in the 1920s and 1930s that has recently been renovated.

Officials at the stadium said a proposal was presented to the governor of Alexandria to convert it into a tourist attraction. The stadium and Royal Pavilion are now new site-seeing attractions located at the gates of Alexandria.

Governor of Alexandria Mohamed Al-Sherif told Al-Ahram Weekly that the “Alexandria International Sports Stadium has been added to the tourist map of Alexandria.”

“The stadium is now hosting groups of tourists as well as local visitors with the aim of emphasising its historical value. Together with the Royal Pavilion, the stadium is an important part of the city’s architectural heritage.”

“The government and its executive agencies are keen on restoring the past splendour of the city that marks it as a destination for international tourism. The city has a distinctive cultural and historical character, and this is evident in its architectural wealth, heritage of culture and the arts, and the beauty of its old streets and buildings,” Al-Sherif said.

Groups from a number of associations and schools have already been hosted at the stadium and given tours. Tourist groups have also been hosted and have been able to relish the historical aura and architectural splendour of the Royal Pavilion.

“The state is working hard to preserve the heritage of Alexandria,” Al-Sherif said.

Visiting the Royal Pavilion after its renovation, the Weekly was hosted by Tamer Al-Gammal, manager of the Alexandria Stadium, who provided details about its history.

The stadium was built in 1929 and was the dream of an Alexandrian athlete of Greek origin, Angelo Bolanaki, who hoped to see the construction of an Olympic stadium in Alexandria. That dream began to come true when Bolanaki met Baron Pierre de Coubertin, president of the International Olympic Committee, in Paris in 1906. At the same time, many smaller stadiums were also being built in Egypt hosting sports events and competitions including tennis, gymnastics, football, and athletics. The Egyptian National Sports Federation was founded in 1908.

The gates of the stadium emulating the designs of royal palaces immediately catches the visitor’s attention. They bear witness to the royal era in which they were constructed, and nearby there are the remains of part of the ancient city walls of Alexandria named the “Zuhari Gate” after Sufi Sheikh Zuhari whose tomb lies on the opposite side and dates back to the 13th century CE.

The stadium’s Royal Pavilion was used by king Fouad in the 1920s and 1930s and his son Farouk. On the second floor, there is the haramlek, the place where female members of the royal family were hosted and which has since become a place for VIP visitors.

The walls of the pavilion are richly decorated. There are images of Egypt’s flag under the monarchy, made up of a crescent and three stars and the letter “F” for Fouad and Farouk. The statues adorning the corridors, the delicate mosaics, and the distinctive marble staircase linking the two floors all gave the place a splendid aura.

ARCHITECTURE:

Hussein Abdel-Bassir, director of the Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, told the Weekly that the architectural “style of the Alexandria Stadium uses a Graeco-Roman triumphal arch, since the city had a Greek character and included Greek, Italian, and other communities.”

“The Royal Pavilion inside the stadium impressed many important personalities who expressed their admiration for its design. It is further proof that Alexandria has a great wealth of heritage that remains largely unknown to many people.”

The Royal Pavilion is a case in point. It is in the centre of the stadium and originally cost some LE12,000 to build, an enormous sum at the time. It is built in the Graeco-Roman architectural style and has a frieze over the entrance with an Olympic motto in Latin, Citius, Altius, Fortius, meaning “faster, higher, stronger.”

Abdel-Bassir emphasised the exquisite furnishings of the pavilion, including the Louis XIV-style salon, living rooms, and main office and valuable paintings and decorations.

The Alexandria Stadium itself was studied by Islam Assem, a teacher of modern and contemporary history and former tour guide, in 2014. He called for converting it into a tourist attraction since its architecture illustrates the cultural diversity of the city.

According to Assem’s study, the architects who built it were carefully selected. Among them was a Russian-Ukrainian architect named Nikozov, though the design as a whole was the brainchild of Angelo Bolonaki. Various Italian companies contributed to the construction of the stadium hand-in-hand with Egyptian builders. All the different foreign communities living in Alexandria at the time contributed to its financing.

The Royal Pavilion was built first. The first floor was originally decorated with motifs dating back to the European Renaissance and was used by king Fouad. The upper floor was reserved for the queen and was later used by members of the municipality and various guests.

“I don’t think there is anything like it in any other stadium,” Assem said. “The Alexandria Stadium has a unique royal character. It was originally called the Fitness Stadium. Then it was named after king Fouad during the reign of his son Farouk. After the 1952 Revolution, it was called the Alexandria Stadium.”

A major ceremony was held when construction work started in 1914. The then khedive was invited, and the flag of the Olympic Games that we still use today was raised. The flag that was used was later donated to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne.

“However, the outbreak of World War I halted the building of the stadium,” Assem said. “Sultan Abbas Helmi II assumed power, followed by king Fouad, who approved the continuing construction. Funds were collected, and Fouad himself donated LE3,000. The stadium was mainly funded by the government and cost about LE132,000 to build.”

The Royal Pavilion was part of the original construction. “Even the stairs between the two floors are of a rare type of marble that cannot be found anywhere else in Egypt except in the building that now houses the American Cultural Centre,” Assem said.

“Many important personalities visited it, including the former shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, when he married princess Fawzia of Egypt, king of Italy Victor Emmanuel, and the king of the Belgians. The stadium was one of the most prestigious landmarks in Alexandria where foreign communities held celebrations and sports events.”

ROYAL HERITAGE:

According to Abdel-Bassir, the birth of Alexandria on the shores of the Mediterranean made it a global city and a melting pot of civilisations.

Egypt’s monarchical period added another layer of architectural heritage to the ancient city due to the construction of many palaces, gardens, the Corniche, and an array of public buildings such as the railway station and the Chamber of Commerce.

“The royal heritage of Alexandria is an important part of the history of Egypt,” Assem said.

Egypt’s 19th-century ruler Mohamed Ali gave special attention to Alexandria since the coastal city was a recipient of people from different nationalities and a connecting point between Egypt and the rest of the world.

Trade flourished, causing an influx of immigrants to Egypt from France, Italy, Greece, Spain and other countries. The members of these foreign communities lived in harmony with each other, often specialising in different fields. Each had its own culture and civilisation, leaving behind a wealth of heritage that teaches lessons of coexistence and tolerance.

“Mohamed Ali made the city a meeting point for the European communities and other nationalities and facilitated their influx by building places of worship for the different groups,” Assem added. “The city was turned into a commercial centre, and a spirit of tolerance prevailed encouraging the diverse communities to coexist and live in harmony.”

Such coexistence was reflected in the city’s architecture, as each foreign community left its touches on the city’s buildings. Today, the diverse architectural heritage of Alexandria is rich with different styles ranging from English to Greek. Italian styles, however, are a dominant feature.

Among the more important Italianate buildings is the Montazah Palace. Originally built by the khedive Abbas Helmi II, kings Fouad and Farouk later completed it and built the surrounding park as well as the two adjacent palaces of Al-Salamlek, built by Abbas Helmi II, but renovated by kings Fouad and Farouk, and Al-Haramlek Palace, which was built by king Fouad and renovated by Farouk.

Montazah served as a summer resort for the royal family, and its architectural style combines Byzantine, Gothic, and Islamic features. Its interior is decorated with many French-styled antiques and pieces of art.

The palace’s park is one of the most beautiful places in Alexandria today and contains a tea kiosk and king Farouk’s own greenhouses. These contained a large collection of rare plants collected by Farouk himself and date back to 1932.

The Palace of Aziza Fahmi is another architectural gem, as is the Jewellery Museum in the Ziziniya district, housed in a former royal palace that has recently been restored.

“The Ras Al-Tin Palace is one of the most important in Alexandria and perhaps one of the most important in Egypt,” said Abdel-Bassir. It saw the ascendance of Mohamed Ali to power, as well as the closing chapter of his dynasty after the 1952 Revolution when king Farouk went to Ras Al-Tin Palace before going into exile on the royal yacht Al-Mahrousa.

Mohamed Ali commissioned French engineer Yazi Bey to build the palace in collaboration with French engineers. It took 11 years to build, and today is one of Alexandria’s architectural masterpieces.

“There are other public buildings that are important expressions of the monarchical period,” Abdel-Bassir added. They include the Alexandria Railway Station, inaugurated in 1927 and designed by an Italian architect. “It is one of the most important and attractive buildings in the city today,” he noted.

The Swedish Centre is equally attractive. “It dates back to 1925 and is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city,” Abdel-Bassir said. There are many beautiful buildings in Fouad Street, among them the Asaad Basili Palace, all of which are important landmarks of the royal era. They include today’s Russian Cultural Centre, once owned by one of Alexandria’s prominent Greek cotton merchants.

Other merchants included individuals of Greek, Italian, British, Lebanese and Moroccan nationality.

Alexandria’s various cultural facilities, such as the Sayed Darwish Theatre, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the palaces of culture, all add to the splendour of the originally belle époque modern city.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 20 July, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly