The
Palace of Amir Beshtak was built by Amir Beshtak al-Nasiri, one of
al-Nasir Muhammad's close khassakiya amirs and his son-in-law, in
1334-39 on the site of the Fatimid Eastern Palace (al-Qasr al-Sharqi).
It
remains nearly complete in its original form, with two stories, qa'a, a
small courtyard, and integrated stables which have a special gate
opening onto a side street. The long facade was endowed with many
windows opening onto the busiest street in medieval Cairo.
In
the heart of Islamic Cairo, authentic Arabic music slips away from the
Bashtak Palace, currently known as the House of Arabic Singing. Built in
the 14th century by Prince Bashtak, this architectural gem is now
dedicated to reviving and teaching Arabic and Egyptian classical music
and singing schools. The initiative is the brain child of the palace’s director and Arabic music lead singer at the Opera House, Mohsen Farouk.
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The
House of Arabic Singing is the first international centre specialised
in teaching and reviving various traditional Arabic singing schools:
Egyptian, Shami (Levantine) and North African. It will include the first
audio video library of all Arabic singing schools in their original
dialects, in addition to hosting the first museum of Arabic musical
instruments."
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The
aim is to revive the playing of Arabic musical instruments that are
demising, such as the oriental violin, the nai (oriental flute) and the
qanoun,” added Farouk.
The house promises to showcase gems of classical Egyptian and Arabic music through regular concerts.
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