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5 Pounds Cairo Opera House
| Issuer | Central Bank of Egypt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a detailed architectural rendering of the Cairo Opera House (National Cultural Center) in high relief, occupying the central field of the coin. The building is shown in a frontal perspective, with its distinctive domed roofs, colonnaded facades, and flanking structures faithfully reproduced. An Arabic inscription arcs along the upper border, and a second Arabic legend curves along the lower border. The reeded rim frames the entire composition, lending a formal commemorative character befitting this issue celebrating the inauguration of Egypt's premier cultural venue. |
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| Mint | Egyptian Mint |
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| Additional information |
Issued to mark the opening of the new Cairo Opera House on the Gezira Island complex, which replaced the original Khedivial Opera House destroyed by fire in 1971. That original building — inaugurated in 1869 for the festivities surrounding the opening of the Suez Canal — had stood for over a century before burning to the ground in a blaze attributed to an electrical fault. Egypt went nearly two decades without a dedicated opera venue.
The replacement facility was a gift from Japan, built under a bilateral cultural agreement and completed with Japanese government funding — an unusual arrangement that made this commemorative as much a diplomatic artifact as a national one.