Montaza Palace

The Montaza district of Alexandria, Egypt, is home to the Montaza Palace, a complex of palaces, museums, and vast gardens. The Al-Haramlik-Montaza Palace has a public museum devoted to the history of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. In the past, Al-Montazah Park was a magnificent royal garden. Now it serves as a public landscape park and forest reserve. The palace itself is off-limits to tourists, but the garden is open to all.

The Montaza Palace was constructed on a low plateau east of the city's centre, with a view of a Mediterranean beach. The palace, which blends Ottoman and Florentine architectural elements, includes two towers and broad open arcades that face the sea. Located on palace grounds, the Salamlek Palace has been transformed into a high-end hotel. The newly furnished hotel also hosts a casino and a museum. The Salamlek Palace, the first structure in the expansive Montaza Palace grounds, was constructed in 1892 by Khedive Abbas II, the final Khedive of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. President Anwar El-Sadat refurbished the original Salamlek Palace as the official presidential home.