Ras El Tin Palace stands on the Mediterranean coast of Alexandria, overlooking the city's Western Harbour. Muhammad Ali Pasha began building it in 1834, and the original design was built by 1845. The last additions and wings were finished in 1847. Pietro Avoscani influenced its early European features. The palace is named for the fig trees already on the site.
King Fuad I had it totally rebuilt in the 1920s, with Ernesto Verrucci-Bey overseeing the new design. The style is Italian Renaissance with Baroque and Moorish elements. The three-story building has about 183,000 square feet (17,000 square meters) of floor area, a mosque and a large glass pavilion hall with a swimming pool. The gardens cover about 13 acres.
King Farouk was besieged here in 1952 and abdicated before going into exile. The palace is now the official residence of Egypt's President. The formal gardens are open to the public, but the palace is not.
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