# Royal Jewelry Museum, Alexandria > The Royal Jewelry Museum fills Princess Fatma al-Zahraa’s palace in Zizinia, begun in 1919, with jewels of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and lavish period interiors. Foreign visitors pay 220 EGP, students 110. Open daily from 9:00, last entry 16:00. Allow 75 minutes inside; it is 15–25 minutes by taxi from downtown. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum - City: [Alexandria](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria), Egypt - YesGo score: 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 15 min - Entry: 220 EGP, students 110 - With kids: Fine with kids - Foreign adult: 220 EGP - Students (24 and under): 110 EGP with valid student ID - Children under 6: Free - Hours: Daily 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:00 - Ramadan: 9:00–15:00, last entry 14:00 - Closed: Never — open every day - Where to buy: Egymonuments website, Experience Egypt app or the ticket office - Payment: Visa and Mastercard accepted in every sales channel - Photos: Phone photos free - Address: 27 Ahmed Yehia Pasha St, Zizinia (Gleem) - Getting there: From Saad Zaghloul Square: 15–25 min east along the Corniche by Uber or taxi - Coordinates: 31.24070, 29.96300 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1919** — construction of the palace began, for the family of Princess Fatma al-Zahraa (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English Wikipedia; Daily News Egypt) - **1805–1952** — the reign of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, whose jewels the museum holds (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English Wikipedia) - **24 Oct 1986** — the palace opened as a museum (source: English Wikipedia; Wikidata; Daily News Egypt) - **2 wings** — east and west, joined by a gallery, each with a basement and two floors (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English Wikipedia) - **4,185 m²** — of palace interiors, set in a garden (source: English Wikipedia; Ask-Aladdin) - **1964** — the princess handed the palace to the state and moved to Cairo (source: English Wikipedia) - **2010** — the museum reopened after a restoration lasting several years (source: English Wikipedia; Arab Contractors) - **2011–2014** — closed for security reasons, reopened in October 2014 (source: Daily News Egypt; Arab Contractors) - **Muhammad Ali’s collar** — set with diamonds and emeralds — a star of the collection (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) - **Queen Farida’s tiara** — platinum and diamonds, shown in the Main Hall (source: Luxor Times; Ask-Aladdin; EgyptFunTours) ## Royal Jewelry Museum tickets and opening hours Foreign adults pay **220 EGP**; students aged 24 and under with a valid ID pay 110 EGP, and under-6s are free. These are the official Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities prices, and one ticket covers both wings of the palace. The museum is **open every day, 9:00–17:00**, but the ticket office stops selling at 16:00. In Ramadan it closes at 15:00 with last entry at 14:00. There is no weekly closing day, Fridays included. Buy on the official Egymonuments website, in the Experience Egypt app or at the ticket office. Tickets are dated and non-refundable. The ministry says Visa and Mastercard are accepted in every channel, the booth included, so a foreign card is the easy option. Keep a few small pounds for toilets and tips. Phone photography is free. Switch the flash off: unofficial guides say it isn’t allowed, and the display glass throws it straight back at you anyway. > **Get there before 16:00** The doors stay open until 17:00, but last entry is 16:00 (14:00 in Ramadan), and the ministry asks you to arrive at least an hour before closing. If Montaza is also on your list, do the museum first — the gardens stay open later. ## How to get to the Royal Jewelry Museum 1. Start from Saad Zaghloul Square by Raml Station in the centre. The museum is 7.5 km east as the crow flies, in Zizinia (Gleem), about 400 m inland from the sea. 2. Quickest: Uber, or Careem if you have an Egyptian phone number. The ride runs east along the Corniche and takes 15–25 minutes, longer at rush hour. 3. Street taxis rarely use the meter — agree the fare before you get in. Show the driver the Arabic name, «متحف المجوهرات الملكية» (Mathaf el-Mugawharat el-Malakiya), and say Zizinia. 4. Don’t count on the tram: Alexandria’s whole tram network, including the line from Raml Station, is shut while it is rebuilt. 5. Already at Stanley Bridge on the [Corniche](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-corniche)? The museum is about 1.5 km away in a straight line — a 20–25 minute walk through residential streets. 6. Continue east on the same road to [Montaza](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace), another 15–20 minutes by taxi. ## Is the Royal Jewelry Museum worth visiting? Yes, if you enjoy palace interiors and modern Egyptian history as much as antiquities. It is the one place in Alexandria where you can walk through real royal rooms — Montaza’s palace is closed to visitors. The stained glass, ceilings and tiled bathrooms are as memorable as the jewels. Skip it if you have a single day and came for ancient Alexandria: the museum is well east of the centre, and the round trip adds about an hour. Stick with Qaitbay, the catacombs and the library instead. The best fit is the middle of an eastern day: the [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) in the morning, the jewels around midday, then Montaza’s gardens and the sea in the late afternoon. ## What to see inside - **Muhammad Ali Pasha’s collar**, set with diamonds and emeralds — one of the pieces the ministry singles out. - **A gold chessboard** and **gold binoculars** studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. - **Gold cups** set with precious stones, and parures made by leading European jewellers for the dynasty’s queens and princesses. - **The Main Hall**: the platinum crown of Princess Shivakiar, first wife of King Fuad I, with diamonds and natural pearls, and Queen Farida’s floral platinum tiara. - Oil portraits of the dynasty — Muhammad Ali, Ibrahim Pasha — and of Princess Fatma herself. - **Stained-glass windows** and balcony, painted and gilded ceilings, parquet and mosaics in a mix of European and Islamic styles. - **The bathrooms**, lined with painted ceramic tiles — don’t walk past them. ## History: a princess’s palace turned museum Zeinab Fahmy, mother of **Princess Fatma al-Zahraa**, began the palace in 1919; the princess was a daughter of Prince Ali Haidar, a descendant of Muhammad Ali. Her mother finished the western wing, and the princess later added the eastern wing and linked the two with a gallery. After the 1952 revolution her property was confiscated, but she stayed on until 1964, when she ceded the palace to the state and moved to Cairo. It opened as a museum on **24 October 1986**. It has closed more than once since. A long restoration in the 2000s ended with a reopening in 2010. After the 2011 uprising the museum shut for security reasons and reopened in October 2014. In 2025 the **Main Hall**, at the entrance to the eastern wing, returned to the visitor route after nearly two years of restoration. The collection covers the dynasty that ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952, from Muhammad Ali Pasha to King Farouk and Queen Farida. Sources give wildly different object counts, so we don’t quote one. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] I’ll be there before last entry at 16:00 (14:00 in Ramadan) - [ ] Visa or Mastercard, or a ticket booked online - [ ] Student ID, if I have one — half price - [ ] The Arabic name saved on my phone for the driver - [ ] Flash switched off - [ ] Small Egyptian pounds for toilets and tips ## Royal Jewelry Museum vs other Alexandria museums | | Royal Jewelry Museum | National Museum | Bibliotheca Alexandrina | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | 1920s palace with the Muhammad Ali dynasty’s jewels | 1926 palace: pharaohs to the 20th century | Modern library with museums | | Foreign adult | 220 EGP | 220 EGP | 150 EGP (main library) | | Last entry | 16:00 | 16:00 | Reading room to 19:00, museums to 17:00 | | Closed | Never | None listed | Friday | | Where | Zizinia, 7.5 km east of the centre | Tariq al-Horreya Street, downtown | Corniche, Eastern Harbour | Prices and hours are official — Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the library’s own site. The National Museum and the library are downtown; the jewellery museum is on the way to Montaza. ## Alexandria’s historic sites compared Every historic site in Alexandria rated by YesGo. - [Citadel of Qaitbay](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/qaitbay-citadel) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 150 EGP, 300 EGP with museums - [Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/abu-al-abbas-mosque) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free, between prayer times - [Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-shoqafa) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Roman Amphitheatre (Kom el-Dikka)](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-dikka) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Pompey's Pillar](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/pompeys-pillar) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 200 EGP, students 100 EGP - [Alexandria National Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-national-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 EGP - [Royal Jewelry Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 - [Montaza Palace and Gardens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 50 EGP, gardens ## Eastern Alexandria in a day The library in the morning, a stretch of the Corniche, royal jewels at midday and Montaza’s gardens before sunset. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 150 EGP, 300 EGP with museums 2. [Alexandria Corniche](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-corniche) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 3. [Royal Jewelry Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 4. [Montaza Palace and Gardens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 50 EGP, gardens ## Not to be confused with This is a state museum in a palace, not a jewellery shop or bazaar — nothing here is for sale. Cairo’s gold souks and jewellery museums in other cities are unrelated. You may also see it called the Royal Jewellery Museum or Royal Museum of Jewelry. ## Tips - Come at opening or late morning: last entry is 16:00, and you can head on to Montaza afterwards. - Look up in every room — the ceilings rival the display cases. - Don’t miss the tiled bathrooms and the stained glass over the staircase. - Save the Arabic name on your phone and show it to the driver — faster than explaining in English. - Bring student ID if you are 24 or under: it halves the price. - Short on time and keener on antiquity? Choose [Pompey’s Pillar](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/pompeys-pillar) and the Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs downtown instead. ## Questions ### How much is the Royal Jewelry Museum ticket? 220 EGP for foreign adults, 110 EGP for students aged 24 and under, free for children under 6 — official ministry prices. ### What are the Royal Jewelry Museum opening hours? Daily 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:00. In Ramadan 9:00–15:00, last entry 14:00. ### Is the Royal Jewelry Museum open on Fridays? Yes — it is open every day of the week. ### Where is the Royal Jewelry Museum? At 27 Ahmed Yehia Pasha Street in Zizinia (Gleem), eastern Alexandria — about 400 m from the sea and 7.5 km east of Saad Zaghloul Square. ### How do I get to the Royal Jewelry Museum? Take an Uber, Careem or taxi east along the Corniche from downtown — 15–25 minutes. The tram is closed for reconstruction. ### Is the Royal Jewelry Museum worth visiting? Yes, for royal interiors and jewels of modern Egypt. If you only have one day and want antiquities, the trip east may not be worth it. ### How long do you need at the Royal Jewelry Museum? About 75 minutes for both wings, plus roughly an hour’s round trip from the centre. ### Can you take photos inside? Yes, phone photos are free. Keep the flash off. ### Can I pay by card? Yes. The ministry accepts Visa and Mastercard online and at the ticket office. Carry small pounds for toilets and tips. ## How we checked Prices, concessions, hours, last entry and photo rules come from the ministry’s official ticketing site; the ministry’s museum page gives 9:00–17:00 with the ticket office closing at 16:00, which matches. Unofficial sites still quote 180 EGP and a Friday midday break — outdated, so we ignore them. Construction began in 1919 per the ministry, Wikipedia and Daily News Egypt; only unofficial sites give 1923 as completion, so we leave that out. Wikipedia dates the start of the 2000s restoration to 2004, Arab Contractors to 2003, so we give only the 2010 reopening. Object counts range from about a thousand to 11,500 depending on the source, so we give none. The Main Hall details come from Luxor Times. Taxi times and the flash rule are unofficial and marked “verifying”. Distances are calculated from OpenStreetMap and Wikidata coordinates. We don’t suggest the tram: the network is shut for reconstruction (Global Mass Transit, Wikipedia). ## Sources - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egymonuments ticketing: Royal Jewellery Museum — prices, concessions, hours, last entry, phone photography, 03.11.2026 - Egymonuments FAQ — Visa and Mastercard, non-refundable tickets, drones - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities: Royal Jewelry Museum — palace history, two wings, key pieces, hours 9:00–17:00 - English Wikipedia: Royal Jewelry Museum; Wikidata Q1323293 (address, coordinates) - Daily News Egypt, 22.10.2014: Royal Museum of Jewellery reopens for first time since 25 January Revolution; Arab Contractors, 19.10.2014 — the same reopening and the 2000s restoration - Luxor Times, 12.07.2025 — the Main Hall after restoration - Ask-Aladdin: The Royal Jewellery Museum in Alexandria; EgyptFunTours: The Royal Jewelry Museum - Wikivoyage: Alexandria — taxis, Uber and Careem (unofficial) - Global Mass Transit, 09.04.2026; English Wikipedia: Trams in Alexandria — tram shutdown --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.