In the House of Muhammad Ali: A Family Album, 1805-1952 (Hardcover)

by Hassan Hassan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This remarkable memoir written by Prince Hassan Hassan (1924-2000), a junior member of the former royal family, is a charming and evocative account of a time and social class before 1952 that no longer exists. Fascinating insights are chronicled not only of the rulers, from Muhammad Ali to King Farouk, but also of royal wives, cousins, aunts, uncles and their associates. 75 black and white illustrations

About the Author
Hassan Hassan, a great-grandson of Khedive Ismail, was born in 1924 and lived in Cairo. He died shortly before his book was published.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: American University in Cairo Press (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9774245547
• ISBN-13: 978-9774245541
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,828,245 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Perspective, January 23, 2004

By A Customer

Published soon after Prince Hassan's death, this entertaining collection of personal memories and family reminisces gives shape to an often misunderstood and much maligned period of Egyptian history and its ruling family.

Told in a chatty, familiar - almost gossipy - style with plenty of black and white photographs, this work provides insight into a past of privilege that survives today in the memory of a select few. Suprisingly, little information is available about a royal familty that was once counted among the wealthiest in the world.

It is the trend in current Egyptian literature to shun recording anything remotely positive about the Muhammed Ali family. However, their accomplishments and failures did help to shape this ancient country that still struggles for its own identity today. It is an important - informal - look at a period in history through a different perspective.

A note to potential travelers to Egypt. With patience, one can still visit some of the royal palaces Prince Hassan mentions, although in a neglected state or converted into modern hotels.

5.0 out of 5 stars History of pre-1952 modern Egypt from a different viewpoint, December 28, 2008

By	Reader "Reader" (Australia) - See all my reviews

Prince Hassan Aziz Hassan (1923--2000) was the grandnephew of King Farouk's father (his grandmother was King Fuad's youngest sister). After the military coup that deposed the 150 year old Egyptian monarchy, almost all ex-royals chose to leave the country. Prince Hassan was amongst the very few who chose to stay, and after his elder brother Ismail commited suicide in 1961 (out of despair at what became of his living conditions), Prince Hassan became the eldest male descendent of Muhammad Ali who still lived in Egypt.

The book is a very subtle and poetic description of the lives of the Egyptian royals pre-1952, with particular emphasis on the art and architecture of their dwellings. Prince Hassan was a noted painter (whose work was banned from public exhibitions by the Egyptian government) and that shows in his strikingly subtle, almost Proustian prose.

You will not find any gossip in this book and hardly any references to a life that was full of hardships (his father died when he was 1 year old and he was taken away from his Spanish mother at the age of 8 since, as a foreigner, she was deemed unqualified to raise an Egyptian prince).

Prince Hassan was a very special man. Search for his obituaries on the web.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Perspective, October 23, 2002

By A Customer

Published soon after Prince Hassan’s death, this entertaining collection of personal memories and family reminisces gives shape to an often misunderstood and much maligned period of Egyptian history and its ruling family.

Told in a chatty, familiar - almost gossipy - style with plenty of black and white photographs, this work provides insight into a past of privilege that survives today in the memory of a select few. Surprisingly little information is available about a royal family that was counted among the wealthiest in the world.

It is the trend for current Egyptian literature to shun recording anything remotely positive about the Muhammad Ali family. However, their accomplishments and failures did help to shape this ancient country that still struggles for its own identity today. It is an important look at a period in history through a different perspective.

A note to potential travelers to Egypt. With patience, one can still visit some of the royal palaces, in a neglected state open to tourists, or a few good hotels.