In the galleries of Kasr El-Aini Museum, history and art join forces to bring the past back to life. The lines those lie flat on the pages of history spring to life in the form of a vivid array of portraits, statues, and photographs. They represent images of professors who are discoverers or innovators, or founders, or successful practitioners, professors whose personal history and achievements merged into the history of Kasr El-Aini, or into the history of Egypt, or even humanity at large: because of the extraordinary services they have rendered. Marble plaques,
and bas-reliefs provide documentary evidence of important events that would have otherwise been legendary tales in books.
These «objects d'art» and antiques, which bear testimony to the glorious past, are of priceless value. Yet they would have rotted and decayed in basement storage rooms, or would have been unwittingly disposed of during renovation operations, by the hands of workers who little recognized their value, were it not for the initiator of the museum project, Professor Mahmoud El-Manawa. With a profound insight into the value of history, this dedicated scientist personally addressed himself to an unrelenting search for every shred of
history he could find. He was, therefore, instrumental in salvaging these precious objects from neglect and decay.
However, the enormous task of implementing a Museum project can seldom be the work of one man: because of the enormous funds and huge efforts incurred. The project would not have materialized were it not for the great support granted by the Minister of Higher Education Prof Mofeed Shihab, the President of Cairo University, Prof Farouk Ismail Ahmed, and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof Moataz El-Sherbini, who all recognized the value of Prof El-Minawi's proposal .
The important task of restoring the paintings, statues, photographs and numerous other items was carried out as a result of the combined effort of an army of experts and professors. The members of the team, who were motivated by their belief in the importance of the task they were accomplishing, were guided and supervised by Professor Salah
The idea of establishing Kasr El-Aini museum started thirty years ago, in 1969, when Dr. Mahmoud EI-Minawi was sent on a scientific mission to UCLA and to the Universities of Missouri, Harvard and Johns Hopkins in the U.S.A. This mission gave him the opportunity to witness what the Western countries did in order to keep a record of their medical heritage, even though some of these Universities were established far more recently than Kasr EI-Aini.
Professor El-Minawi returned from the U.S. in 1973, and contacted, the then Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Hassan Ah Ibrahim proposing a move to collect the historical relics and documents of the Faculty of Medicine at Kasr EI-Aini, which were scattered all over the Faculty building and were undocumented. Professor El-Minawi submitted a proposal figuring out what the museum would look like. He encountered numerous obstacles in the attempt to maintain and collect this medical heritage. The opportunity presented
itself when the Faculty
When a decree was issued by the late President Anwar El-Sadat to demolish and rebuild Kasr El-Aini, stipulating that the project be funded be the state, a resolution was drawn up to collect the archaeologically important remnants of this ancient building to serve as a nucleus for the Museum. However, there were finincial and administrative obstacles, which hindered the early stages of implementing the project. In 1995, the subject was again brought up at the table of discussion and the President of Cairo'
University, Prof. Mofeed Shihab, agreed to revive the idea of building the Museum, which was supposed to be constructed at the site of the new Kasr El-Aini Educational Hospital. The Museum was to be opened on the same day of the inauguration of this stronghold of medicine in the presence of the two Presidents, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, and Jacques Chiraque.
The preliminary studies began, and the budget for implementing the project was drawn up, and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Kasr El-Aini, Professor Mohamed Moataz El-Sherbini approved it. An agreement was reached between the Faculty and the University administration that the Centre for the Maintenance of Antiquities
Manuscripts, and Museeum Acquisitions affiliated to the Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, should carry out the restoration of the objects collected and undertake to build the Museum.
For the third time, the project encountered administrative, financial and technical obstacles. One of the major obstacles was that the new building of Kasr El-Aini Educational Hospital was not fit for establishing the Museum for technical reasons. It was, therefore, decided that the Museum should be set up at the Headquarters of the Conference Centre, which is part of the Administration buildings of the Faculty of Medicine in the district of Manial.