Garden City Military Museum (1937–1948)

This study explores the original headquarters of the Military Museum, which preceded its current location in the Harem Palace at the Citadel of Muhammad Ali. It begins by tracing the origins of the idea to establish a Military museum dedicated to commemorating the victories and achievements of the Egyptian army throughout history, as well as the reasons behind its delayed implementation. The research then examines the selection of the museum’s initial headquarters, officially established during the reign of King Farouk (1356–1372 AH / 1937–1952 AD), following a royal decree that allocated two rooms on the first floor of the former Ministry of National Defense building on Mahmoud Pasha Al-Falaki Street in Bab Al-Louq, central Cairo. However, this was only a temporary location that was soon replaced. The vision of a fully developed Military museum materialized when a house comprising a basement and two floors was rented for 45 Egyptian pounds. This building, situated at 23 Sheikh Barakat Street in Garden City, near the Qasr El-Nil Bridge, became the museum’s new home. The study also examines the museum’s original collection of artifacts and historical objects, their evolution over time, the museum’s various departments, and the additional sections introduced in 1942AD.