Ras el-Tin Palace

Ras El Tin Palace
The palace seen from the Mediterranean Sea, 1931
General information
Town or city	Alexandria
Country	Egypt
Construction started	1834
Completed	1847
Design and construction
Architect	Ernesto Verrucci-Bey

Ras El Tin Palace (Egyptian Arabic: قصر رأس التين‎‎ Qaṣr Ras El Tīn, literally, "Cape Fig Palace") is a palace on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. It is one of the official residences for a serving President of Egypt. Under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, it was a royal palace. Ras El Tin Palace is the oldest royal Egyptian palace still in use.

The palace has a long historical breadth across Egyptian royalty. It is one of few palaces in Egypt that witnessed the early 19th century initiation by Muhammad Ali Pasha (r. 1805-1848) of the long Muhammad Ali Dynasty. Following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the palace was where the penultimate monarch of Egypt and Sudan, King Farouk, signed his abdication, and departed from Egypt in exile.

A number of foreign architects and engineers were commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha for the design and construction of the palace. Building activities began in 1834, taking eleven years to complete the original design in 1845. Complementary work and construction of additional wings continued two more years until 1847, when it was officially inaugurated.

Ras El Tin Palace has the shape of a large Italian Renaissance palace, with architectural elements and ornamentation inspired by that era. It was erected on a foundation of 17,000 square metres (4.2 acres), surrounded by elaborate gardens of 12 feddans (13 acres). Fig trees (Arabic - teen) were already on the palace site, inspiring its name Ras Al-Teen. Through the reign of successive kings the complex was used as their residence and the government headquarters during the summer season.