Cairo: More than a century after its inauguration, the Abdeen Palace, one of Egypt’s historic palaces, has recently opened its gates to people eager to enjoy a culinary aroma amid a royal milieu and granedur.
During the current Ramadan, a restaurant is serving the iftar and pre-dawn Sohour meals in a royal hall of the palace, which was built in the 19th century.
Reservation is made in advance online for 1,800 Egyptian pounds (Dh214) per person for an Iftar, a charge seen too high for an average Egyptian, according to commentators.
Promoting the service, the restaurant has promised its customers an “unparalleled dining experience” at the palace.
Besides the food, the customers can enjoy musical performances and a tour of the magnificent building.
“Reserve now with your iftar & suhour and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine like royalty & tour the King’s Residence,” the restaurant said in a Facebook promotional post.
It is not clear if the restaurant will continue to offer its service in the palace after the lunar month of Ramadan, expected to end on April 20.
Inaugurated in 1874, the Abdeen Palace served as the seat of power in royal Egypt until 1952 when the monarchy was toppled by a revolution led by the military known as the Free Officers.
The palace, one of several commissioned by the Kedive Ismail who ruled Egypt from 1863 to 1879, marked the emergence of modern Europen-style Cairo, dubbed as the Paris of the East.
King Farouk, Egypt’s last monarch, used to host an annual iftar banquet in Abdeen.
The palace is famous for its set of museums, library and theatre. It was named after Abdeen Bey, a military commander in the era of Mohammed Ali, Ismail’s grandfather, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt.
