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The Prince of Poets Museum is an Open Door to the Aesthetics of Art
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The Prince of Poets Museum is an Open Door to the Aesthetics of Art
An Architectural Masterpiece Full of Beauty and Brilliance Bearing the Andalusian Style
By Sarah Gamal
Egypt was one of the first countries in the MENA region and the world to convert the homes of the pioneers of writing into museums although later that idea became very popular. On the banks of the Nile in Giza, the Prince of Poets, Ahmed Shawqi, built his snow-white palace, an appropriate location insofar as he is known for his love of the Nile and wrote dozens of poems in
Ahmed Shawqi Museum in Giza. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).
A large statue of Ahmed Shawqi created by late Egyptian sculptor Gamal El Seguini to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shawqi’s death (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).
its praise and glorification. The Ahmed Shawqi Museum in Giza, which was established in honor of the Prince of Poets and in recognition of his merit in Arabic literature, is a literary reference source for researchers and those interested in literature. This museum is of great importance in terms of its association with one of the symbols of the Arabic poem in its period of revival, the Prince of Poets Ahmed Shawqi. The Prince of Poets Museum is one of the most important museums of writers in the Arab world. It has a high literary value due to the distinguished position of its owner in the history of Arabic poetry, ancient and modern. The museum is located on the Nile Corniche in Giza Governorate, in the house in which Shawqi and his family lived. He built the house after returning from exile in Spain in the early part of the last century and named it “Karmet Ibn Hanie” (“Ibn Hani’s Vineyard”). In 1973, President Sadat issued an order to transform the house into a museum after the Egyptian government purchased it from the heirs of the Prince of Poets. The museum was opened on June 17, 1977. Shawqi was greatly influenced by the Spanish atmosphere, and was charmed by the old gardens of Andalusia. He wanted to build a house with an Andalusian architectural style surrounded by gardens with trees and flowers on all sides, away from the crowds of Cairo. Before that, Shawqi lived in the Matariya neighborhood with his family. He grew up there and lived his early years in his father’s palace. He admired the Abbasid poet Abi Al-Hassan bin Hani, nicknamed Abu Nawas, so he named the house after him. A large statue in the garden lobby receives the visitor to the museum of the Prince of Poets. The statue was sculpted by the late Egyptian sculptor Gamal El Seguini to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shawqi’s death. The statue is made of limestone and two bronze copies of it were made, one of which was placed in the museum’s garden, and the other in Orman Square in Giza. There is a bust of the poet in the main lobby of the museum. The museum consists of two floors with the ground floor including Shawqi’s library, which is filled with thousands of rare books in all branches of literary, scientific and intellectual knowledge. The library also contains the originals of the drafts for poems and poetic plays composed by the Prince of Poets, as well as manuscripts of songs in his own handwriting that were sung by the artist Mohamed Abdel Wahab. Additionally, there is an audio library on which a number of old melodies and songs were recorded. To the left of the entrance is the reception room and a gilded salon. The design of the walls and ceiling is in the Islamic architectural style. The ceiling is ornamentally engraved, while the walls are decorated with Quranic verses written in Kufic script. At the end of the hall there is a wooden staircase overlaid with green marble and covered with a red carpet. This staircase takes the visitor to the second floor, whose entrance contains a statue of Shawqi made by an Italian sculptor. On its base
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there is a memorial marble plaque commemorating the inauguration of Ahmed Shawqi as Prince of Arab Poets in 1927. Shawqi represents one of the contributors to the transition of poetry during the phase of renewal, in what was called the Resurrection. Shawqi deliberately named his museum after “Ibn Hani” in relation to the poet Abu Nawas in order to reach this poetic moment and to send a message that he lives for poetry and adopts Arab culture. On the other hand, the museum regularly hosts exhibitions of fine art, poetry evenings, and various cultural seminars. Ahmed Shawqi was born in the Hanafi district of Cairo on October 16, 1868, to a Kurdish father and a mother of Turkish and Circassian origins. He memorized a portion of the Qur’an and learned the principles of reading and writing. Then he joined the elementary school of poetic novices,
A wooden staircase overlaid with green marble and covered with a red carpet which takes the visitor to the second floor. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).
A bust of the Poet in the main lobby of the Museum. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).
Ahmed Shawqi’s big library of books and his audio library. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).
The office of the Prince of Poets overlooking the Nile. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal). where he showed clear brilliance. At the age of fifteen, his poetic talent began to draw the attention of his teacher, Sheikh Muhammad al-Basiouni. Afterwards, he attended the Law School in the year 1303 AH (1885 AD), and joined the Department of Translation. Shawqi traveled to France and was with fellow missionaries of the Egyptian Progress Society. This was one of the forms of patriotic activism against the British occupation. He formed a close friendship with the leader Mustafa Kamel. He began work on the projects of the Egyptian Renaissance and was influenced by French poets, especially Molière. The Prince of Poets was exiled by the English to Spain in 1915. During his exile, he became acquainted with Arabic literature and Andalusian civilization, but was following events taking place in Egypt. Another trend appeared in his poetry, different from the style to which he had committed before his exile, and continued until he returned to Egypt in 1920. In 1927, Arab poets pledged allegiance to Shawqi as Prince of Poetry. Ahmed Shawqi Museum is considered an important architectural and a literary masterpiece because it is an embodiment of the life journey of the most important poet in the history of the modern Arab people, the life of a man who interacted with the world and gave a great deal to its culture. The museum is theoretically open every day, except Monday and Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm. The museum is located in the villa of the poet Ahmed Shawqi and has been annexed to the Ministry of Culture.
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The internal exhibition is called “The Mechanics of Wonder”, as the heart of the pavilion is a structure of the human brain. (Supplied)
A Journey through Russia’s Pavilion at Expo
Russia Showcases Creative Minds at Expo 2020 Dubai
By Moamina Faour
Russia is participating in Expo 2020 Dubai under the slogan of “Creative Mind: Driving the Future”, allowing millions of visitors to learn about Russia’s current achievements in industry, science, technology and culture.
The pavilion was designed by famous Russian architect Sergei Tchoban who said during the opening that the design came in the form of two domes that create one space as visitors enter the interior and ascend to the upper floor.
He also indicated that the pavilion is covered with multi-colored lines to create with all these elements, a continuous movement.
“It was important to show in the pavilion not what is fixed, but what changes for this endless movement to embody the harmonious and united coexistence of the multifaceted Russian
Theme of the pavilion is “Creative Mind: Driving the Future” because it focuses on creative industries. (Supplied) nation.” Inside the pavilion, the internal exhibition is called “The Mechanics of Wonder”, as the heart of the pavilion is a structure of the human brain.
This symbol represents the processes that organize human life in society and form common values on which the future of mankind and its endless opportunities for development are built.
On the side of the exhibition, Yekaterina Pribytkova, director of international communication at the pavilion, gave Majalla an exclusive interview and talked about the impression of visitors to the Russian pavilion and their opinion of its design.
“We want it to be a bit different. So, we invited one of the greatest Russian architects nowadays, Sergei Tchoban. He saw this pavilion as a dome - as a planet that is meant to serve as a point of attraction to others and get attracted to others as well - just like planets and objects in space do and just like in Expo when countries collaborate between each other and get closer together.”
She added, “He also used a little bit of symbolism in different objects within the architecture. For example, the line wrapped around the pavilion symbolizes the continuity of knowledge … different colors symbolize the unity of peoples living in Russia. It symbolizes a frozen movement because if you look at the pavilion it looks like someone took a photo on the go and this way it is like a frozen zone … which is also the theme of mobility and moving forward and being dynamic.”
Speaking about the interior design of the pavilion and why it was built in the shape of the human mind or brain, she said that the theme of the pavilion is “Creative Mind: Driving the Future” because they focus on creative industries.
“Therefore, the centerpiece of our exhibition is the human brain itself because we believe that there is a lot of technology right now … there is a lot of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all innovations in that aspect.
“But of course behind each technology, behind the AI we are talking about now is the human mind, the human consciousness. So, we tried to step back and speak about the thing that started it all. So, now we are not looking outward but more inward towards the human mind … looking more into us how similar and different we are.”
The director also said that there are cultural and business events held on the sidelines of the pavilion.
“We will be showing our ballet, opera, all the heritage. And in the business issues we are discussing all the pressing issues and topics of our times.
“For example, as you have seen we have the Russian cultural forum with speakers from Russia. We also invited guests from the UAE like the head of the Abu Dhabi Film Committee and we brought a cosmonaut. So, it does not stop with the exhibition but it goes along with other activities that happen on a weekly basis.”
The director of international communication at the Russian pavilion indicated that a large forum will take place at the Russian pavilion and include business and investments on December 3-4. “This forum will include a series of events in conjunction with our National Day at the Expo,” she said.
The great Russian architect Sergei Tchoban saw this pavilion as a dome - as a planet that is meant to serve as a point of attraction to others and get attracted to others as well.
The pavilion is covered with multicolored lines to create with all these elements, a continuous movement. (Supplied)
The design came in the form of two domes that create one space as visitors enter the interior and ascend to the upper floor. (Supplied)
