“Qena Heritage Schools”: Abandoned Palaces and Others Awaiting Demolition

In Qena, stories are not limited to temples and monuments, but also extend to Qena Heritage Schools that were once beacons of knowledge and centers for building generations. These are ancient buildings whose walls bear the marks of time. Their courtyards echo with the laughter and noise of the students who passed through them. But today, these schools face the threat of extinction, as neglect and a lack of restoration and maintenance have turned them into silent ruins. Some have been closed, others are caught up in legal disputes, while a large number of them stand on the brink of oblivion. Bab Masr attempts to trace the fate of these heritage educational buildings, which are part of the identity and living memory of Qena Governorate.

Al-Bahaa Zuhair Preparatory School in Qus

Al-Bahaa Zuhair Preparatory School was founded in the early 20th century. It was the seat of one of the courts in Qus before it was converted into a preparatory school affiliated with the Ministry of Education. It was named after the poet and minister of the Ayyubid era, Al-Bahaa Zuhair, who grew up in Qus, according to Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book Hasan al-Mahadara.

The school consists of a single floor with ten classrooms, but it has fallen into disrepair over time. Although the Qus Education Administration has carried out minor maintenance work from time to time, it was decided this year to transfer its students to the Nile School. The heritage building now awaits a fate that may end in demolition.

Al-Khawaja Tubia School (Preparatory School for Girls)

In 1945, the notables of Qus met to discuss the establishment of a secondary school for students who were going to Qena, and the role of Al-Khawaja Tubia came to the fore. Dr. Suleiman Jado, a heritage researcher, says: “Al-Khawaja Tubia was a prominent figure in the city. He owned 500 acres of the finest land and a palace built in 1904 on an area of 14 acres in the Italian style.”

He continued: Tobia donated the palace to be used as a secondary school. He leased it to the Educational Buildings Authority for a symbolic rent of no more than a quarter of an Egyptian pound. Not only that, but the khawaja lived in the basement of the palace until his death in the 1970s, refusing to move to Cairo.

The palace remained a secondary school until the 1990s, when it was converted into a preparatory school for girls. Due to neglect, some of its walls collapsed, and the students were transferred to Al-Nasr Girls’ School. The palace was used as administrative offices before being taken over by the Cultural Coordination Authority for restoration. However, since 2016, the palace has not undergone any restoration and still awaits an unknown fate.

Daoud Takla Schools

In the heart of the village of Bahgoura in the center of Nag Hammadi, lie the Daoud Takla and Munira Takla schools, the first schools in the center with an architectural design comparable to palaces.

Mahmoud Madani, director general of archaeological affairs in Upper Egypt, says that the Takla family played a prominent role in building schools in Bahgoura. They wanted to make it easier for students to access education without having to travel to Nag Hammadi or Qena. He continued: Daoud Takla, who holds a law degree from Cairo University, began building a primary school in 1903. Then, in 1942, he began building a secondary school, but he died before its completion. His wife and daughter, Munira Takla, completed the construction, and the school opened in 1929.

Greek and Roman style

The school consists of three main buildings: The first building houses the administration, teachers, and library on the first floor. There are 10 classrooms on the second floor. The second building is west of the first and consists of two floors and a basement. The first floor houses the science labs (the oldest in Qena), while the second floor contains the art workshops.

The school’s facade features Greek, Roman, and Pharaonic-style columns. Its name and opening date are inscribed in hieroglyphics. The school had a stable for donkeys, which were used to transport students from neighboring villages.

Munira Takla School

Munira Takla continued her father’s legacy. After building the secondary school, she established another school bearing her name.

The Director General of Antiquities says of it: “The school is a two-story building with 12 classrooms. It was designed in the Baroque and Rococo styles, one of the most beautiful European architectural styles of the 17th century. Its wooden ceilings are decorated with motifs and drawings of children, women, and angels. They have been reinforced with a layer of cement. But today, the school is neglected and in urgent need of restoration so that it does not suffer the same fate as the Tobia Palace.”

Sidi Omar Elementary School “Makram Ebeid Pasha Palace”

Sidi Omar Elementary School, or Makram Ebeid Pasha Palace, was built in the 1940s. It is one of the most prominent buildings in Qena. The palace is located next to the security directorate in the city center and today stands half-ruined, awaiting its fate.

According to Mahmoud Madani, the palace was built in the modern European style. It consists of two floors, a spacious courtyard, Corinthian columns, colorful marble entrances, and a staircase decorated with Baroque and Rococo wooden ornaments. It was leased to the Ministry of Education to be used as a primary school.

The heirs continued to live in the palace until the 1940s, when they left it to be used as a school. The school remained in operation until some of its interior parts collapsed, and the building was vacated in 2013. Another part of its facade was then demolished. Since then, the palace has stood neglected, awaiting its fate.

Schools that have disappeared but remain in memory

Many heritage schools and palaces in Qena face an uncertain fate despite their historical and educational value, as they witnessed the beginnings of education in the governorate. Some of these schools are now nothing more than a memory, such as the Old Mosque School or “Market School,” which was founded in 1912.

It was named after its location in front of the Umari Mosque, and was also known as the Market School because the city market was held around it every Monday. Because it had no walls, shoppers would join the students in their morning queue on that day. Now it has been turned into a book storage facility.

The city of Qus was known for its private schools for girls, the most prominent of which was the Al-Tawab Elementary School, which was an old two-story mud brick house with classrooms for students, a room for the principal, another for teachers, a hall for school meals, and restrooms.

The school had accommodation for expatriate teachers and taught handicrafts. The students received free tools and pens, as well as a daily meal consisting of milk, peanuts, and dates. However, three years ago, the heirs took over the building, demolished it, and built a number of residential houses on the land.

The Rural Primary School

Built in 1950 in the Al-Tawab area of Qus, the school was open to boys only. The school has seen many generations of students and teachers over the decades.

In 1973, it was converted into the Abdul Basit Coeducational Elementary School, named after one of the heroes of the October War, and continued to operate until 2011, when classes were suspended and the land was returned to the heirs.

The old Qus Preparatory School

was established in the 1960s and included classes for boys and girls, making it the first co-educational school in Qus.

The school was distinguished by its diverse activities, such as music, agricultural education, and home economics, and it also included the first hall for plastic arts. In the 1980s, it was converted into a co-ed commercial school, and it continues to play its role today, despite its decline in quality.