Dubbed the ‘knight of Egyptian cinema’ for his aristocratic stature and military background, Ahmed Mazhar – who passed away in 2002 – busied himself with plant-collecting behind the scenes.
The garden is now owned by his son, architect Shehab Mazhar, and in July 2024 it was opened to the public – a decision that Mazhar says follows the legacy of Egyptian monarchs of the early 20th century.
“As a child,” says Mazhar, “my grandmother taught me how to plant in our home garden. She even taught me about soil fertilisation.” This experience forged an emotional connection to the flowers and trees he watched grow every day.
“When I grew up, I had a deep desire to dedicate time to creating a unique botanical garden, the first of its kind in Egypt,” Mazhar says.
In expanding his father’s garden, he wished to follow in the footsteps of modern Egypt’s architects – such as Ismail Pasha, founder of the Orman Garden at Giza.
How did the Mazhar Botanic Garden grow?
In 1950, Ahmed Mazhar started a collection of flower seedlings, almond and walnut trees, roses and fruits. In 1985, he expanded his focus to include shading plants and rare plant species.
By 2009, Mazhar junior introduced an extensive collection of palm trees, bamboo, orchids, cactus, perennials, indoor and aquatic plants, ferns and bulbs.
Established over 30 acres of land in El-Barageel, approximately 10 kilometres from central Cairo, the garden now holds 75,000 rare types of medicinal and aromatic plants collected from plant exhibitions worldwide.
With its primary mission to preserve the largest living collection of native plants, the garden was accredited by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) in 2017, becoming one of 15 such sites in the north African country. It also houses a centre for scientific research and plant studies.
A green lung for Greater Cairo
Dr Therese Labib, an expert in heritage botanical gardens and the supervisor of Mazhar Botanic Garden, says the garden plays a pivotal role in protecting rare and endangered plant species globally.
“Additionally, the garden preserves biodiversity and promotes environmental sustainability by increasing carbon dioxide absorption rates,” says Labib.
Mazhar Botanic Garden, she claims, surpasses the Orman Garden in its ability to absorb pollutants, removing the equivalent of four times the amount absorbed by Orman from Greater Cairo.
According to a recent report by Dr Wafaa Mahrous Amer, professor of botany at Cairo University’s Faculty of Science, and member of the National Committee for UNESCO, the garden contributes to the capture of about 2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide every year.
Adopting plant DNA technology
To enhance this crucial role, horticulture experts have introduced an advanced system for classifying the plants based on DNA analysis.
Mazhar has become the first botanical garden in Egypt to adopt this system, known as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) system – a modern, molecular-based way of classifying flowering plants.
This technology has helped sort plants accurately according to their scientific classifications. QR codes were added to provide information about the history, origin, and rarity of each plant, with 1,080 plant species documented within this system so far.
“Botanic gardens play a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and reducing warming, like any green space,” says Dr Hesham Lotfy, professor of plant taxonomy at the Faculty of Education at Ain Shams University.
However, he points out, the true value of botanic gardens exceeds this role as they are considered a “living museum” for plants, preserving the biodiversity of rare ones.
“Mazhar garden effectively contributes to improving air quality in Giza Governorate, thanks to the density and diversity of its plant cover,” adds Lotfy.
How much carbon do trees store?
Dr Maha Ismail, who heads a forest and timber trees research centre in Cairo, says that the ability of trees to absorb carbon dioxide varies according to several factors.
These include the location of cultivation, the type of soil it is in, the age of the tree, growth rate, and the concentration of carbon in the surrounding atmosphere.
“Scientific equations are used to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide stored in a tree,” says Ismail.
“A eucalyptus tree weighing about two tonnes will store an estimated tonne of carbon dioxide, roughly half its weight. Throughout its lifespan, a 20-year-old eucalyptus tree absorbs approximately 122 kilograms of carbon annually.”
Challenges to sustaining botanic gardens in Egypt
Water scarcity in Egypt, explains Dr Mohamed Mahmoud – former director of the Horticultural Research Institute at the Agricultural Research Center – limits the establishment of new botanical gardens, as resources are pooled to secure food for the population of 105 million.
“The national policy is to plant forest trees, which are irrigated with treated wastewater,” Mahmoud tells Euronews. “This is a sustainable environmental alternative to gardens and planting them near wastewater treatment facilities will effectively contribute to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change.”
Dr Nader Nour El-Din, professor of Water Resources at Cairo University and consultant with the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) says that evergreen trees are the most efficient in purifying air because of their dense leaves and photosynthesis throughout the year.
“Greening the desert” projects not only protect agricultural land from desertification, but have become a strategic necessity to face climate challenges and improve air quality, says Nour El-Din.
This article is published in collaboration with Egab.
