Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum > Records

First World War Postcard of Kars-el-Nil Bridge, Cairo

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1900 - 1919

Overview

A black and white postcard depicting the road entrance to a bridge. The entrance in flanked either side by large statues of lions on plinths and there is a light pole with two lamps in the middle of the road. Beyond the entrance the metal right hand side of the bridge can be seen extending into the distance and a tree grows in the centre of the road. There is a building also on the right-hand side of the picture together with a man riding a donkey and horse drawn carriage just about to cross. On the left-hand side, a man in local robes and another in a suit are exiting the bridge on foot and two carts sit waiting on the side of the road with four other men. The postcard is in very good condition front and back. The side edge has perforations that suggest it was separated from another card. The front is printed with a description of the image, and the reverse has proforma printing.

Historical information

Between 1869-71 what amounted to a narrow iron causeway across the Nile was constructed linking Princess Nazli's palace and the uninhabited island of Boulac. The bridge was opened to traffic in February 1872. With the arrival of the horseless carriage the Egyptian Department of Public Works found it necessary in 1913 to commission Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Co. to give the aging crossing a badly needed facelift. In July of the same year floorboards reinforced with concrete blocks were added to the bridge and its narrow sidewalks widened. It was finally replaced in 1933 and is now known as Qasr El Nil bridge.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-12-2022.1.181

Item type

Postcards

Themes

War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Card

Width

136 mm

Height or length