Beyond the Rosetta Stone: Discovering Egypt’s Best-Kept Architectural Secret

Exploring the Ottoman houses, French connections, and ancient traditions of Egypt’s Nile delta gem

The French Connection to Egypt’s Hidden Architectural Gem

When French Ambassador to Cairo Eric Chevalier and his wife Matilde Chevalier visited the city of Rashid (Rosetta) last September, they took a Nile cruise to see the city in panoramic view, experienced resting on a chair made from palm fronds, and visited the Al-Amsili House, mistakenly known among residents as the Champollion House. The Beheira Governorate described the visit in an official statement as an opportunity to affirm the relationship between France and Rashid, considered the city of history and the flower of the Nile, an open museum reflecting the authenticity of Egyptian heritage.

The city’s name is attributed to the Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, which opened horizons for understanding ancient Egyptian language by containing one text in three different languages on the same stone (the other two being Demotic and Ancient Greek). The stone is now displayed at the British Museum in London, while Rashid Museum houses a replica without indicating it is a copy, along with information about the discovery and a large bust of Pierre François Bouchard, the stone’s discoverer.

Beyond the Rosetta Stone: A Historical Bond

The relationship between Rashid and France extends beyond the discovery of the Rosetta Stone to include recording the French Campaign’s entry into Egypt in 1798 and its departure. Between these events lies a marriage alliance between Zubaida, daughter of Mohamed Abdel Rahman Al-Bawwab Al-Mizouni, and General Jacques François Menou (Abdullah Menou).

As for Champollion, the French scholar who discovered the method of deciphering the Rosetta Stone writings, residents of the city mistakenly attributed to him one of the most important historic houses. Mahmoud Al-Qasrawi says, pointing to the Al-Amsili House: “I have lived in the city all my life and know this house as Champollion’s house. I used to pass by it every day on my way to the nearby high school, and by chance I recently learned its real name and true story.”

Mahmoud Saad Al-Hashhash, archaeological awareness officer at the Rashid Antiquities Area, explains the reason for the house’s incorrect naming to Bab Misr: “Champollion never lived here. City residents believe this because of a historic visit by his youngest grandson, Hervé Champollion and his wife, Catherine Collins, director of the Museum of Fine Arts in France, to the city and this house after its renovation in 2017.”

The Legend of Ghada Rashid

Zubaida’s story with General Menou became one of the French Campaign’s most compelling human dramas. Poet Ali Al-Jarem later reimagined it in his novel “Ghada Rashid,” written as a response to Alexandre Dumas’ “The Lady of the Camellias.”

According to the tale, young Zubaida consulted a fortune teller named Rabiha, who prophesied she would one day rule Egypt. Despite loving her cousin Mahmoud, Zubaida refused his marriage proposal, captivated by visions of power. When General Menou married her and later succeeded the assassinated General Kléber as commander, the prophecy seemed fulfilled. Zubaida had become the wife of Egypt’s ruler.

But the story ends tragically. When the French evacuated Egypt in 1801, Zubaida accompanied Menou to France. There, he abandoned her and placed their son Suleiman with a noble family to be raised as French. Today, the Rashid Museum displays Menou’s conversion document and marriage contract. Ironically, while official records name the family mansion “Al-Mizouni House” after her father, locals still call it “Zubaida’s House.”

More Than a Museum

Reaching Rashid from Alexandria takes just one hour by car. As you approach, vast palm groves appear like a green wall stretching across the southern horizon. Beyond them lie narrow streets lined with architectural marvels: 22 historic houses, a traditional bathhouse, an ancient grain mill, eleven mosques and religious lodges, and three shrines. Only Cairo surpasses Rashid in the number of registered Islamic monuments.

The Rashid Museum itself occupies a three-story Ottoman-era mansion that once belonged to Arab Koli, the city’s governor. Converted to a museum in the 1960s, it chronicles Rashid’s resistance against both Napoleon’s forces and the later British Fraser Campaign of 1807. Among its 700 artifacts are Umayyad and Ottoman gold and bronze coins, plus the replica Rosetta Stone.

However, the museum building pales in comparison to the magnificently restored private mansions nearby. If you’re visiting solely for the stone’s replica, you’ll find it the least impressive attraction in a city full of wonders.

Navigating the Historic Quarter

Walking Rashid’s labyrinthine streets requires a local guide. The narrow alleys twist and turn at sharp angles, preserving the 16th and 17th-century urban layout. Hidden within this maze are the city’s greatest treasures: the Mizouni House, Hasiba Ghazal House, Asfour House, Al-Qanadili House, and the crown jewel, Al-Amsili House.

Al-Amsili House and Abu Shaheen Mill

Al-Amsili House and the neighbouring Abu Shaheen Mill showcase identical architectural styles. The mill, Egypt’s oldest surviving grain processing facility, was built in the early 19th century by Osman Agha Al-Topgi Pasha, a cavalry officer in the Ottoman army who also constructed the mansion.

Both structures feature the distinctive carved brickwork that made Rashid famous. Intricate patterns of red and black bricks adorn the facades, while triple arches support the ceiling beams. This architectural technique appears almost nowhere else in Egypt, except for a few buildings in nearby Fuwa and limited door decorations in distant Esna.

“Houses in Rashid are known by their last owner’s name, but we record the original builder too,” explains Al-Hashhash. “Ahmed Al-Amsili was the final resident, but Osman Agha built it in 1808.”

He continues: “Rashid thrived as a commercial hub. Most historic houses belonged to wealthy merchants who used the ground floors for storage and business. But Al-Amsili House differs because the Agha was a military officer. He converted the ground floor into stables for his horses and carriages.”

Inside the Mansion

The three-story house reveals Ottoman Egypt’s sophisticated domestic architecture. The ground floor contains a grand reception room with carved wooden partitions separated by marble columns, plus the stables, storage areas, water cisterns, and facilities. The facade dazzles with Kufic calligraphy, geometric plasterwork, and pottery decorations. Elaborate mashrabiyas (wooden lattice screens) and arabesque patterns adorn every surface.

A separate servant’s quarters, the Hasiba Ghazal House, stands adjacent. Together with Abu Shaheen Mill, these three buildings form a unified architectural complex.

The Mystery of Carved Brick

The red and black bricks adorning these facades represent a lost art. “This carved brick technique defines Rashid’s architectural identity,” says Al-Hashhash. “You’ll find it here and in Fuwa across the Nile, but almost nowhere else in Egypt.”

The secret lay in Nile silt. Artisans mixed different types of river mud to create naturally colored bricks, then carved them into decorative patterns. But the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam ended the annual Nile floods. Without fresh silt deposits, the traditional brick-making industry collapsed.

“We can’t produce authentic carved brick anymore,” Al-Hashhash notes sadly. “Modern restorers use dyes to approximate the original colors.”

UNESCO Recognition and Preservation

In 2003, UNESCO added Rashid to its World Heritage tentative list. The organisation’s report praises the city’s remarkably preserved urban fabric: “Some neighborhoods retain their narrow streets intersecting at right angles, the last remnants of 16th and 17th-century urban planning. Two and three-story houses line these streets, interspersed with mosques, bathhouses, and shops.”

The report continues: “In the early 20th century, the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Monuments designated 38 houses as historical landmarks. Only 22 survive today.” The Egyptian government transferred ownership to the Supreme Council of Antiquities and began systematic restoration.

Most houses follow a similar pattern. Ground floors served commercial purposes with storage rooms. First floors housed male family members and guests. Second floors formed the haramlik (women’s quarters). The upper stories project over the streets, creating shaded walkways below. Mashrabiya screens allow women to observe street life while maintaining privacy.

Some facades display multicoloured brick patterns in red, black, and white, unique in Egyptian architecture. Ceramic tiles called zellige, borrowed from North African traditions, add splashes of colour to interiors.

The City of a Million Palms

Rashid earned its nickname, “the city of a million palms,” through both geography and economy. Palm wood provided ceiling beams for houses. Woven palm fronds created furniture, baskets, and utensils. Every part of the tree served a purpose.

Near the old Sea Gate, between tourist landmarks, sits a modest workshop where this ancient craft survives. Two elderly men, both past sixty, spend their days transforming palm fronds into practical objects.

Masters of a Dying Craft

Hosni Al-Ashry, 66, carefully cuts fronds into equal lengths. “I started learning at age six,” he reflects. “Now I’m 66 and never did anything else, even though it barely pays anymore.”

His workshop partner, Mabrouk Hamida, shares a similar story. From eight in the morning until ten at night, they work side by side, producing roughly twenty vegetable baskets per day. Their earnings barely cover daily expenses.

“Palm fronds are all blessing,” says Al-Ashry. “Some craftsmen evolved with the times, now making furniture and chairs. We couldn’t adapt. We still make baskets, just as our fathers and grandfathers did.”

Nothing goes to waste in their workshop. Large fronds become basket walls. Medium pieces form handles. Even the tiniest scraps serve as kindling for cooking fires.

Palm Hearts: An Ancient Delicacy

Two blocks away, a young vendor named Saleh stands by the Nile, cutting and selling jummar, the tender palm heart. Locals consider it both a treat and a health food.

“We’ve eaten jummar since childhood,” explains resident Mahmoud Al-Qasrawi. “It’s the tree’s inner core, harvested during pruning after date season. Summer jummar tastes sweetest because heat-stressed palms concentrate their sugars.”

Harvesting jummar requires skill and timing. Workers must cut at the right moment, peel away tough outer layers, and extract the pale, tender heart before it oxidizes and darkens.

Living History

The work of Hosni, Mabrouk, and Saleh connects directly to Rashid’s architectural heritage. The tools and techniques they use today are identical to those employed centuries ago. Their palm wood reinforced the ceiling beams visible in Ottoman mansions. Their woven fronds became the intricate mashrabiyas filtering light through historic windows.

As tourism slowly increases and restoration continues, these craftsmen preserve more than just traditional skills. They maintain a living link to the past, demonstrating how Rashid’s celebrated architecture emerged from local materials and indigenous knowledge.

Walk the narrow streets. Admire the carved brick facades. Climb the wooden stairs. Peer through the mashrabiyas. Then visit the workshops where elderly hands still shape the same materials, using the same methods, creating the same objects that furnished these magnificent houses two centuries ago.

Rashid isn’t merely a museum of Ottoman architecture frozen in time. It’s a living city where heritage and tradition continue, where the past still shapes the present, where every carved brick and woven palm frond tells the ongoing story of Egyptian craftsmanship.