The Military Museum
The Military Museum in Cairo is famous for its rich collection and historical building which was originally a palace during the reign of Mohamed Ali, the founder of the royal family that ruled Egypt from 1805 till 1952. It was established in 1937 in the old building of the Ministry of Defense based on the idea of Abdel Raham Zaki, one of the most famous military historians in Egypt. It was recently modernized in cooperation with North Korea and President Mubarak reopened it on 29 November, 1993. It records the history of the Egyptian army since the Pharaonic times till now. It is divided into three wings and three storeys, each having several halls. It exhibits the development in weaponry and military equipment and uniforms, besides 220 paintings of famous battles, as well as the most important military decorations, orders and medals.
Al-Magd Hall:
Al Magd Hall exhibits the flags used since the Ottoman era up till now including the flags of the Republic, the main branches of the Armed Forces and the historical flags of the military zones, leaderships and the units which participated in October War.
Clothes Hall:
It exhibits the development of the soldiers' uniform since the start of the Islamic ear up till now.
Arms Hall
Knives, swords and guns are on display in this hall which includes Artillery Hall which shows the guns' development throughout all eras.
Historical Display Halls
Islamic Era
It exhibits the events seen in Egypt since Amr Ibn el-As conquered it till the battle of Hitten led by Saladin against the Crusaders as well as dioramas showing the capture of King Louis IX and another diorama for Ain Galot battle and the Islamic battle of Badr.
Mohamed Ali Pasha Hall
It exhibits the family tree of Mohamed Ali Pasha and paintings for the Citadel's Massacre, Ship Building House as well as diorama for the Suez Canal from opening to nationalization.
War Hall
It includes many intersected halls showing every war which Egypt engaged in since 1948 up till 1973 as well as dioramas for Ras el-Esh Battle, Port Said War and Elat's destroyer.
October Victory Hall
It exhibits the achievements of 1973 October War in addition to the weaponry which participated in the war. It includes air forces hall, air defense hall, infantry hall, naval forces hall, paratroops hall and coastal guards' hall.
Martyrs Hall
It exhibits the names of the martyrs of October War and other wars who sacrificed their lives to realize a great historical victory.
Al-Alamein War Museum is located 105 kilometers west of Alexandria. It is placed within the military areas of El Alumni. It was opened in 1956, during the tenure of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Built as a memorial of the Battle of Al Alamein, between the British and the Germans in 1942, and the battles that took place in South Africa in World War II, Al-Alamein Museum was renewed and reopened in 1992 under President Hosni Mubarak. The museum is one of the best places to visit in order to understand the story of World War II in Egypt.
The museum contains records of all the events. Even before entering the Museum area, there stand huge army tanks and other weapons in the courtyard. Visitors can view the heavy equipment, go inside a tank or an army vehicle, or even jump up and sit on the top of a tank.
The museum consists of five halls, each of which is dedicated to one of the four countries involved in the war, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, and Egypt. There is also a mixed hall that contains a number of war items.
The Egyptian hall:
It shows how Egypt helped the Allies during the war. There are statues of Egyptian soldiers who helped British troops.
The British hall:
Focus is on how the British were able to defeat the Italians and the Germans in North Africa.
The Italian hall:
Like the other halls, it contains statues of Italian soldiers wearing their uniform.
The German hall:
It highlights the part played by the German army in the battle of Alamein and in the other battles fought in North Africa in World War ll.
The most interesting of all the museum's halls is the mixed hall which showcases items belonging to the warring parties. The small models at the center demonstrate the important battles between the British and Italians in the beginning, and the British and the Germans later. The hall has one part that tells the history of each country and why they were involved in the war. Photographs are hung showing real battles walls; the history of the three countries and the reasons they had for going to war is also presented together with information about them.
The October 1973 War Panorama is a museum, which relates the battles of Egypt's greatest victory of modern times. The idea of the panorama was first introduced during President Hosni Mubarak's visit to North Korea in 1983.
The project was opened by the President on October 5, 1989. The building and grounds stand on some 31 thousand square meters; a 6-square meter parking area is attached.
Weaponry used by the Egyptian troops and Israeli weapons seized in the war is showcased in the open display area. The cylinder-shaped main building is 44m x 27m intersected by a 10.5m-iron and copper tower. It consists of four halls:
The circular hall:
which highlights the achievements of the Egyptian Armed Forces in the period from 1967 to 1973.
Hall 2:
in which the crossing of the Suez Canal is graphically shown.
Hall 3:
which showcases the achievements of the various branches of the Army during the October War.
Hall 3 is a library with a reading hall attached.
Panorama shows are presented in Arabic, English, German, Italian, French and Japanese.
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