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| the Ferial Garden |
The city of Port Said is among the most important in the world. It’s one of only three cities to sit between Africa and Asia and it sits on the mouth of the Suez Canal and hosts the world’s shipping in its docks. The British writer Rudyard Kippling once said "If you truly wish to find someone you have known and who travels, there are two points on the globe you have but to sit and wait, sooner or later your man will come there: the docks of London and Port Said".
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| the Ferial Garden |
The city hosts various monuments like the history park, De Lesseps’ walkway and the Salt Mountain, but one calls to Egypt’s heritage and history more than any other: the Ferial Garden. It is not a very large garden, but it pays homage to one of Egypt’s most storied moments. Let’s paint the picture: the year is 1869 and Egyptian peasants have put their blood, sweat, tears and lives into digging the Suez Canal. The entire world has eyes on Egypt and hopes to know if the Suez Canal will actually save them the time of having to go through the cape of good hope or if it's going to be a complete failure. On the 17th of November, the ruler of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, invited the world’s greatest leaders and minds to attend a massive opening ceremony in Port Said. The ceremony was described by some as “the party of the century” with extravagance at every corner. The Khedive also built temporary mosques and churches on the banks of the Suez Canal and a massive complex of tents and Gazebos to watch the ships from. Guests of this legendary ceremony included: the Emperor Franz Joseph I, the French Empress Eugenie (who had a street named after her) on her Imperial yacht L'Aigle, the Crown Prince of Prussia, and Prince Louis of Hesse. That morning, a procession of ships entered the canal headed by the French imperial ship L’Aigle. The procession took the party all the way to Ismaila, where the ceremony’s festivities continued.
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| the Ferial Garden |
Today, the ceremony is remembered for its massive cost and contribution to the debts of Egypt, but the people of Port Said remember it every day with the Ferial Park. Named after King Farouq’s daughter and located where the old ceremony took place, the park is in the Sharq district of Port Said that lies directly on the canal and that was formerly called the Efrange thanks to its former European residents. The Park hosts various rare plants and trees from around the world and has a commemorative display of what the old Ferial Park’s gazebos and tents would have looked like during the opening ceremony. It also has a dutch-style windmill, why? Well, no reason other than that it looks good. There is also a commemorative map of the suez canal itself with markers pointing out the three major cities: Suez, Ismailia and Port Said.  |
| the Ferial Garden
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Compared to the traffic and pollution of Cairo, the Canal cities are an escape from all the noise and fumes in the big city. In Port Said, you can enjoy your holiday by also appreciating a bit of history and heritage at the same time. Make sure you grab some cassata to eat while you lounge around the Park (and don’t forget to feed the cats).
