Twinkling tales

A new book by renowned Bahraini author Dr Abdulla Al Sulaiti shines a spotlight on timeless pieces of dazzling jewellery worn by the former royal family of Egypt from the 19th century.

The book, entitled Egyptian Royal Family Jewellery, focuses on rare and exquisite designs, pearls and other priceless possessions of the dynasty of Muhammad Ali Pasha, who was the ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848, explaining in detail their history and artistic value.

Known for their appreciation for unique and extraordinary creations, the family got the gems handcrafted by renowned European luxury

jewellery design houses, including Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.

“It took me around six years to complete this book as I had to research and travel a lot to conduct personal reviews with members of the royal family,” Dr Abdulla told GulfWeekly.

“I was given the green light after I presented the project to Ahmed Fuad II, a member of the Egyptian Muhammad Ali dynasty, and he welcomed the idea and provided me with the information I needed.”

As a child, Dr Abdulla was fascinated by the history of the Egyptian royal family and became curious about their jewellery that he saw in museums and magazines.

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to write about them and to focus on the most important pieces,” the 50-year-old historian with more than 16 years’ experience in the fields of heritage, antiquities, and museums added.

Throughout his career, Dr Abdulla has held numerous administrative positions at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.

One of the designs highlighted in the book is a precious Van Cleef & Arpels bib necklace, crafted in the shape of a bib. It has around 600 diamonds in art deco style, with baguette diamonds topped with rows of brilliant cut diamonds (having higher shine).

According to Dr Abdulla, this masterpiece was worn by Queen Nazli Sabri, who was Egypt’s first queen consort.

“She was seen wearing the necklace for the 1939 wedding ceremony of her daughter, Fawzia of Egypt, who became the

queen of Iran following her marriage to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former Shah of Iran,” he said.

“Later on, the queen took the necklace with her to America and it stayed with her until it was taken by an American bank,” the author claimed. Eventually, Van Cleef & Arpels bought the necklace back in an auction and it was seen thereafter on Amina El Demirdash, Queen Nazli’s great granddaughter, who featured in Vogue Arabia magazine in 2019, according to Dr Abdulla.

Another necklace owned by Muhammad Ali Pasha has also been featured in the book. The golden neck piece consists of 16 decorative units, with ‘Muhammad Ali’ engraved on eight of them. Eight others are in the shape of a rose.

Amina attended the book launch, which was staged at the DANAT booth at Jewellery Arabia 2024.

DANAT is the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones and an international pearl testing authority.

Other books published by the author include Sultan Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, from the sultanate to Exile (2023), Forts in Bahrain (2009) and The Journey of Exile of Khedive Ismail from 1879 to 1895 (2020).