Gezirah Palace

The Gezirah Palace, designed c. 1868, was commissioned by Khedive Ismail for entertaining visiting international dignitaries during the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

[1] Ismail Pasha fell into debt and sold the Palace ten years after its construction to Michel Lutfallah who turned it into his private residence.

During World War I it was put into service as the No.2 Australian General Hospital, after the Mena House was unable to cope with the huge number of casualties from the Battle of Gallipoli.

[citation needed] The Gezira Palace is a neoclassical structure with an alhambresque style used for interior decorations, the portico façade, and a monumental garden pavilion.

[1] Renowned European architects were commissioned for the project: Julius Franz [de] of Germany designed the palace, Owen Jones of Britain did the interiors, and Carl von Diebitsch of Prussia designed the portico and the garden pavilion.