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Museum · Modern
Umm Kulthum Museum
Egypt’s voice, preserved beside the Nile
Inside the Manasterly complex on Rawda Island, the Umm Kulthum Museum brings together personal objects, photographs, documents, recordings and stage costumes in an intimate visit to twentieth-century Arab cultural memory.
About this place
The Umm Kulthum Museum occupies a building within the Manasterly Palace complex at the southern end of Rawda Island in Manial. Egypt’s Ministry of Culture began developing the museum in 1998 to preserve the singer’s artistic and personal legacy, and it opened to the public in the early 2000s as a focused account of the life and career of the woman known across the Arab world as Kawkab al-Sharq, the Star of the East.
The galleries display stage costumes, her famous glasses, medals, photographs, letters and documents, together with recordings, films and archival material tracing her music and her place in twentieth-century Egyptian and Arab culture. Its location beside Manasterly Palace and the Rawda Nilometer makes it easy to connect modern musical history with a wider historical visit to Rawda Island.
The museum turns Umm Kulthum from an iconic voice into a tangible biography through clothes, letters, photographs and recordings in a historic Nile-side setting.
Visitor information
- Opening hours
- Sunday — 09:00 – 16:00
Monday — 09:00 – 16:00
Wednesday — 09:00 – 16:00
Thursday — 09:00 – 16:00
Friday — 09:00 – 16:00
Saturday — 09:00 – 16:00 - Payment
- Cash
- Amenities
- Toilets
| Tickets | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian | 5 | 2026-09-06 |
| Egyptian student | 2 | 2026-09-06 |
| Foreign | 20 | 2026-09-06 |
| Foreign student | 10 | 2026-09-06 |
Highlights
- Stage costumes, glasses and personal objects
- Photographs, documents and correspondence
- Recordings and audiovisual material
Tips from the visit
- Combine it with the Nilometer and Manasterly Palace.
- Tuesday is the weekly closure according to the Cultural Development Fund schedule.
- About one hour is usually enough.
Worth knowing
- Admission is inexpensive and generally cash-based; carry small notes.
- Concerts or events in the complex have separate tickets and schedules.
Location & getting there
Manasterly Palace, Al-Malek Al-Saleh Street, Rawda Island, Manial, Cairo
Nearest landmark: قصر المانسترلي ومقياس النيل
Nearest metro: الملك الصالح
From El-Malek El-Saleh metro, take a short taxi to the southern tip of Rawda Island and the Manasterly complex; the museum is inside.
30.0072, 31.2251
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