In the first decade of the 20th century Emmanuel and Maria Casdagli purchased a very lavish house in Cairo that was later known as Kersal Villa, the name honouring the family’s Salford home in England, but more usually as Kasr-el-Dubara, after the square of Midan on which it was built. In more recent times it was named nostalgically by others Villa Casdagli.
Villa Casdagli was built in the early 1900s in what became an exclusive residential quarter outside the old city. The villa was designed by an Austrian architect, Edward Matasek (1867-1912), which explains its Central European style. It was a striking building, with large, spacious reception rooms filled with luxurious furniture. There was a splendid Byzantine room which was specially decorated by a young Russian artist and took him 8 years to complete.
Four generations of Casdaglis lived at the palace which, located in the heart of the diplomatic and royal quarter hoasted many extravagant parties.
In mid 1930s the villa was rented to the United States Government to use as their legation. The familiy’s very grand former home was sold in 1944. In the new Egypt after the removal of the monarchy it became a school and was in rundown state when it was formally protected as a cultural monument in 2006. In spite of being looted and set alight during the Arab Spring Emmanuel’s palace still stands proudly in the Garden City district in central Cairo.
Villa Casdagli has provided a lot of inspiration in the development of Casdagli Cigars’ products and visual identity. The Traditional Line of Casdagli Cigars was inspired by the lavish life in Cairo led by the Casdagli family in the early 1900s centered around the beautiful Villa Casdagli. The imitation of Byzantine pattern adorning the grand reception of Villa Casdagli is now a centre piece of Casdagli Cigars’ visual identity decorating our cigar boxes and also Villa Casdagli Collection accessories.
