Egyptian Royal Opera House
Cairo Governorate, Egypt
No longer standing
Demolished or destroyed.
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The Egyptian Royal Opera House, designed by Italian architect Pietro Avoscani, was inaugurated in Cairo on November 1, 1869, to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal under orders of Khedive Ismail. Located between the Azbakeya and Ismailyya districts, the wooden structure seated approximately 850 people and became the oldest opera house in Africa and the Middle East. Rigoletto marked its opening performance, while Verdi's *Aida*—a work set in ancient Egypt—received its world premiere there on December 24, 1871. The building burned to the ground in the early morning of October 28, 1971, with only two statues by Mohamed Hassan surviving the fire. Cairo remained without an opera house until 1988, and the original site was subsequently converted into a concrete parking garage, though Opera Square preserves the memory of the lost landmark.
Architect
- Type
- opera house
- Place
- Cairo Governorate, Egypt
This building on
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Location