The Montaza Palace is a complex of buildings and gardens in the Montaza neighbourhood of Alexandria. It was built east of the city centre, on a low plateau overlooking the beach and the Mediterranean Sea.
Within the extensive grounds of the complex, the relatively small Salamlik Palace was the first to be established. The Austrian-style building, completed in 1892, served as a hunting lodge for Khedive Abbas II, the last ruler of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, and his companions.
Al-Haramlik Grand Palace and the royal gardens were added to the grounds later, during the time of King Fuad in 1932. This residence was used as the royal summer home when Cairo was too hot. The structure, in a mixed pseudo-Moorish and Florentine architectural style, abounds in design elements and details, and its two towers, copies of the towers of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, rise above the main structure. The presence of open arcades overlooking the sea on each floor is also a feature of the palace.
Some time ago, President Anwar El-Sadat used the reconstructed Salamlik Palace as his official residence. Al-Haramlik is a state historical museum and is temporarily closed.
The small palace is now a luxury hotel and the 61-hectare Al-Montaza Park is open to the public as a public landscape park and forest reserve. In addition, the coves and sandy beaches are a favourite holiday destination for visitors and locals alike.
