Prince Mohammed Waheed-Eddin Selim was born on January 1, 1919 and died on December 19, 1995. His father Selim Bey Khalil was a commander in the Turkish army. His mother was Princess Showekar, great granddaughter of Mohammed Ali Pasha. She received the palace as a gift from Prince Youssef Kamal.
After completing his study in Paris Prince Waheed returned to Egypt in 1939 and decided to live in his mother’s palace. The unmarried prince was known for his burning passion for traveling and buying auctioned antiques. The palace’s curtains were drawn after the prince’s death.
The palace rises next to Matariyya Sporting Club in front of the district’s Metro station. The palace is surrounded by 4.5 acre-garden, in which rare palm trees grow with a fountain being in the middle. A hall floored with black, white and pink marble imported from Italy immediately draws the visitor’s attention as he/she steps in. A frieze with beautifully gilded floral patterns is all around the wall. The hall is opened onto four rooms, the first of which has a parquet floor and a door with a mirror. Its major exhibit is a large-size portrait of Mohammed Ali Pasha, head of Albanian Family of Mohammed Ali. The walls are beautifully ornamented with gilded floral patterns in the French style. A large mirror next to the door will also arrest the visitor’s attention. The second room has an external door with a mirror; its ceiling is ornamented with drawings in the French style. The room has a large-size mirror, a white marble fireplace also in the French style and a bust of Ibrahim Pasha. A grand chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The third room is allocated to the Prince’s study, which has a number of books in French. Facing the study is the dining room. The palace’s second floor has four rooms, the most important of which is the Prince’s private suite