A palace raised in months to host an empress for the opening of the Suez Canal.
Commissioned by Khedive Ismail and completed in 1869, the Gezira Palace was built to lodge Empress Eugénie of France during the festivities for the opening of the Suez Canal. Designed with lavish cast-iron and gilt interiors, the palace was later converted into a hotel and now forms the historic core of the Cairo Marriott.
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