Ever since I started my long yet continuous journey to explore Cairo’s museums, I’ve had the chance to learn a lot about so many things starting public transportation, using a map, understanding spaces, directions, roads and how incredibly connected Cairo different neighborhoods are as well as the knowledge I get about the people, places and the enormously large number of stories Cairo is rich in. Adding in my passion for history, documentation and photography, every experience was, let me say, so unique and so enchanting on its own.
Up to January 2019, I have visited a total of 21 museums, 16 of which are located in Cairo. Some of them are so popular and quite reachable for the crowd such as the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square and the Museum of Islamic Art in Bab al Khalq but others were pretty much unknown such as the Zoological Museum inside Giza Zoo and the Geological Museum in Maadi.
Despite the fact that most of these museums were recently renewed and are now in a perfect condition as well the fact that they contain valuable items, monuments, and masterpieces, they haven’t received enough promotion and marketing despite some short reports aired on satellite channels in the afternoons where everyone is almost at school or work! Today, I will take you through two of these museums that thousands of people pass by every day without knowing they actually exist. They’re also located in one of Cairo’s busiest street: Ramsis.
- Museum of Egyptian Railway
This is an amazing museum located inside Ramsis Railway Station that tells the history of one of the early established railways in the world. The museum is a relatively large two-floor building that contains hundreds of figures of old Egyptian trains, engines, the different other parts of anything related to rail. It explains the train motion technology and how it was developed over the centuries. It tells stories about the laws set by rulers at the time. You can also see real documents of laws and decisions signed by the Khedive back in the mid-1800s as well as the early 20th century. There are so many photographs showing the inside of train carriages for both the elite and the crowd. On the first floor, there is the royal train carriage in which King Foud I traveled.
The museum is in a perfect condition, clean and well taken care of and sadly never crowded! You can visit it only for 5 EGP but there are photography fees of 10 EGP. If you’re in Cairo and traveling by train to Alexandria or Aswan, spare only 30 minutes before or after your journey for a nice never-to-forget visit to this museum, just make sure you get there before 2:00 pm!
- Museum of Muhammad Abdul Wahab
This museum holds a dear and near place to my heart for it’s all about the greatest Egyptian musician of all time: Mohammad Abdul Wahab! If you’re Egyptian or an Arab, you will definitely relate to the amazing very rich and productive life of Abdul Wahab. The museum is located inside the Institute of Arabic Music in Ramsis Street right beside Al Helal Hospital. It’s a small museum taking two internally connected halls which you can tour in under 30 minutes. It contains a large number of Abdul Wahab’s personal items and stuff such as his Oud, keyboard, diaries, musical notes, national ID, and his diplomatic passport. The museum tells the story of the life of the great musician and shows parts of his unforgettable contributions to Arabian music.
You can visit this museum for only 5 EGP (can you believe that!) and take photos for free. Just make sure you go on days from Sunday to Thursday between 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
