Royal Jewelry Museum

The museum occupies the palace of Fatma al-Zahraa, a granddaughter of Muhammad Ali's line, built in the 1920s and decorated with an extravagance that competes with the collection inside: stained glass panels showing European romantic scenes, painted ceilings, and bathrooms with marble tubs and glass tiles that visitors tend to photograph more than the jewels. The holdings themselves come from the confiscated property of the royal family after 1952 and run to several thousand pieces, including Muhammad Ali's own decorations, a platinum crown set with thousands of diamonds, gold chess sets, jewelled watches and snuffboxes, and a great deal of Cartier and Boucheron work commissioned by King Farouk and his family. The two halves of the building keep the men's and women's wings distinct.

What you actually see

• Royal diamond and platinum pieces - crowns, brooches and orders.
• Stained glass wall panels - romantic European scenes in coloured glass.
• The marble bathrooms - tiled and mirrored, as photographed as the jewels.
• Farouk-era commissions - European jeweller work made for the palace.

When to go

April to November. Mornings on weekdays. Two hours for the jewels and the rooms together. The museum has closed for restoration for long periods in the past, so confirm it is open before travelling out to Zizinia.

Honest expectations

Photography of the jewellery is usually banned and the rule is enforced. Lighting in the display cases is poor in places. The museum has a history of unannounced closures. Zizinia is a long way east of the centre in traffic.

Nearby

Montaza is further east; Stanley Bridge is on the coast below.