National Military Museum

Cairo


Mohammed Ali’s one-time Harem Palace is now the lavish National Military Museum. It was closed for restoration on our last visit though unlike the other neglected Citadel museums, its popularity with visiting school groups means it's likely to have reopened by the time you're here. Endless plush-carpeted halls are lined with dioramas depicting great moments in warfare, from Pharaonic times to the 20th-century conflicts with Israel – kitschy fun to start, then eventually a bit depressing. There is a cafe nearby.


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