A tramcar from the former Heliopolis tramway was delivered to Baron Empain Palace on Friday to be part of an exhibition on the history of the district at the grand opening of the site next month.

Hisham Samir, a senior antiquities ministry official, said that the tramcar will be displayed in the front yard of the palace.

It will be restored starting next week, he said, and will be part of the new exhibition on the history of Heliopolis.

The palace was built by Belgian industrialist Empain in the early twentieth century, and is currently being restored.

In December 1894, Empain, who also built modern Heliopolis, was granted the contract to build a transport network for Cairo. In the first phase the project, eight tram lines were laid, six running from Al-Attaba Al-Khadra in central Cairo to the new city.

The tram began operating in 1910, linking Heliopolis to the rest of Cairo. It was retired in the past decade.

Nevine Nizar, another official, told Ahram Online that the exhibition will include a collection of photographs, archival documents, maps, panels, drawings and official letters in relation to the construction and history of Heliopolis and Matariya.

It will also include objects reflecting the lifestyles of the suburb’s inhabitants during that early period, including chairs, lamps, tables, and telephones.

Photographs showing the different phases of the palace’s restoration will also be on show, along with panels on the villa’s architectural style and on Baron Empain and his family.