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[ If Only Lions could speak ]

Posted by Amr Tahtawi (Cairo, Egypt) on 7 October 2007 in Cityscape & Urban and Portfolio.

One of Egypt's many landmarks:
Kasr el-Nil Bridge - 6 June 1933 - 1932 meter-long.
constructed by Dorman, Long & Co. Limited of Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, UK.

Interesting facts :
1-Our handsome steel bridge was not always called Kasr el Nil and it certainly wasn't the first crossing to appear at that particular section of the Nile, it was unofficially referred to as 'Kobri el Gezira' or 'Gezira Bridge'.
2-3,701 tons of steel manufactured in Middlesbrough Steel Works in Yorkshire were used for the bridge's construction.
3-The bridge departed just south of Princess Nazli's palace (later the infamous British-occupied Kasr el Nil Barracks) ending at the southern tip of the uninhabited island of Boulac commonly known today as Gezira-Zamalek.
4-The bridge was opened to traffic in February 1872. (when the French still had a say in Egypt's economy )
5-The construction of Kasr el Nil Bridge served first and foremost as a catalyst for the development of Gezira Island and the expanse that lay beyond.
6-the Gezira toll bridge came as a bane for traditional ferry operators and feluka owners, yet, on the other hand, pedestrians, camels, wagon-owners, donkey-carts and stagecoaches could now remain on terra firma all year round.
7-Between 1869-71, at a cost of LE 108,801, St. Simonian engineer Linant de Bellefonds had, with the participation of French steel makers Fives Lilles, strung what amounted to a narrow iron causeway across the Nile linking the very same embankments we are so familiar with today.
8-In July 1913 floor boards reinforced with concrete blocks were added to the bridge and its narrow sidewalks widened.
9-In January 1931 the four lions guarding Kasr El Nil Bridge were fittingly relocated at the Zoological Garden in Giza.
10-Originally, the larger than life bronze lions created by French sculptor Alfred Jacquemart were meant to stand guard around Mohammed Ali's statue in Alexandria but Linant de Bellefonds thought better of it and brought them to Cairo instead.
11-Foundation stone of the new Kasr el Nil Bridge laid by King Fouad on 4 February 1931.
12-On 6 June 1933 at 10:00 King Fouad inaugurated the Nile's newest crossing. Understandably, the 20 meters wide bridge was christened Khedive Ismail Bridge in honor of the King's father. If you look carefully, the original name is still in evidence on the etched granite slabs located under the lion to your right as you enter the bridge. The name 'Khedive Ismail Bridge' is also marked in English on the Dorman & Long plaque attached to the belly of the bridge.
13-Up to the 1960s the bridge opened twice a day. Later it would only open to enable Nile cruise ships to pass.
14-Topping the list of Cairo's favorite photo-ops are the Kasr el Nil lions and photo-ops from the bridge are second to none.Ironically for several decades it was forbidden to take photos of Cairo bridges leading to the arrest of many an unsuspecting tourist.
15- Kasr el Nil bridge is located within range of the city's opera house, just like Sydney Harbor Bridge.

If only lions could speak, they would've shared their history with us. So i choose to show some respect for those ancient lions gaurding our bridge that's shimmering over the Nile like a bride on her wedding night.

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