Cairo University Museum

 

The University Museum is located in the University’s Main Building . It was inaugurated in August, 1989, at the time when Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Naguib Hosny was the University President. The reason for establishing the Museum is to highlight the political and cultural history of the university, and also to show the stages of development that took place in its faculty buildings when the location of the university had been chosen in Boulak EL-Dakrour district, Giza Governorate by the year 1908, until it became a Public University in the year 1952, presided by Ahmed Lotfy EL-Sayed.

The University Museum contains a varied collection of gifts that were offered to the presidents of the university, as well as gifts from the university faculties and institutes. The collection has been sorted out into four main sections as follows:

 

First Section:

 It includes a collection of Papyrus indicating numerical statistics of the numbers of university employees and faculty members from professors, assistant professors, teachers, assistant teachers and assistances along the years. It also has a map showing the location of the university in Giza Governorate, beside photographical pictures for the University Presidents, starting with Ahmed Lotfy EL-Sayed in year 1925 until the last former president.

This section also holds the first editions of such newspapers as El-Helal, EL-Thagr, EL-Balagh and also magazines like EL-Wadi and EL-Shaab provided by Faculty of Mass Communication.

 

Second Section:

 This section displays a collection of medals offered to the university presidents during their meetings with the faculties’ youth. A wide range of coins found during the process of building the foundation of the Faculty of Engineering and the University Hostel are represented alongside the collection of copper and bronze coins offered by European universities. The section also boasts a number of Golden and Silver Plates, Cups and Swords, such as, the sword presented by Mr. Mahmoud EL-Zoghby, the Syrian Prime Minister who graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University .  

 

Third Section:

This section reveals an array of valuable manuscripts and historical books, such as, The History of the French Expedition in Egypt in 1798, rare copies of the Holy Koran in both Arabic and Turkish languages, and copies of the Holy Bible and Sahih EL-Boukhary. The section exhibits the oldest bachelor certificates issued from the Highest Faculty of Commerce in 1917, and others from the faculties of Engineering, Medicine & Dentistry in 1939. Also in the collection are the records of the names of students from the Faculty of Arts, Philosophy Department, including the name and transcripts of the Egyptian littérateur and Nobel Prize winner, Naguib Mahfuz. 

 

Fourth Section:

This section claims an invaluable range of holdings donated by Faculty of Archaeology that go back to the Greek and Roman Dynasties. Also shown in this collection are pieces from the Coptic and Islamic dynasties, such as the collection of lime stone portals with decorative motifs, designed tiles and carved Hieroglyphics.