A Stroll Inside Giza’s Historic Orman Botanical Garden

Boasting a rare collection of flora, Giza’s Orman Botanical Garden was founded in 1875 during the reign of Khedive Isma’il Pasha, who was known for his love of green spaces. The khedive personally commissioned  French landscaper Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps to design the garden as part of his palace.

In 1917, the garden became a public park, famed for its lotus pond, as well as its rose and cactus gardens. The park hosts the annual Spring Festival, which spotlights the botanical garden’s rare floral selection throughout the month of March. With many companies putting their plants, gardening tools and fertilizers for sale within the park in a grand display of greenery, the event has become something of a local harbinger of the spring season amongst Giza’s residents.

The Orman Botanical Garden is located across from the Giza Zoo, and is open for visitors every day from 8 AM to 3 PM, with entry tickets priced at EGP 10.