Al Ismaelia

What Al Ismaelia does

Al Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment (Ismailia Real Estate Investment LLC) is a Cairo-based private real estate company founded in 2008 that specializes in the acquisition, heritage restoration, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings in Downtown Cairo. The company has assembled a portfolio of 25 landmark buildings acquired between 2008 and 2014 — including El Shourbagy (1910), TamaraHaus (1910), Cinema Radio (1932), 33 Sherif (1913), the former French Consulate (now Consoleya), and La Viennoise (home to Mazeej Balad, Downtown Cairo's first Michelin Key restaurant) — and converted them into mixed-use commercial, retail, hospitality, coworking, and cultural venues. Its core competency combines architectural heritage preservation with regulatory compliance under Egypt's National Organisation for Urban Harmony, addressing decades of urban decay in one of Cairo's most historically significant districts.

The company generates revenue primarily through recurring commercial and retail leasing across its portfolio, supplemented by managed coworking operations (Consoleya, a 69 million EGP-renovated plug-and-play workspace), hospitality operations (TamaraHaus operated by Alchemy Experience, with 26 suites planned by 2026), event and cultural programming fees (D-CAF, Cairo Design Week, CIAD, Art D'Égypte exhibitions), and serviced apartments via a 2025 partnership with Knight Frank. Al Ismaelia serves a diversified tenant mix spanning SMB retailers (Halawa Shop, Karak Boy, Upfuse, Mad Stitches), mid-market operators (Diwan, SIP coworking, Consoleya tenants), and enterprise anchors (CIB, Burger King, GIZ, UNICEF). Go-to-market combines direct B2B leasing, channel partnerships (Knight Frank, Alchemy Experience, BPE Partners as management company), and community-led district activation through recurring cultural programming.

Operationally, Al Ismaelia is managed by BPE Partners under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Karim Shafei, with Deputy CEO Ahmed El Meghalawi and a board that includes Vice Chairman Hazem Barakat, Samih Onsi Sawiris, Ammar Al Khudairy, Karim Saada, and Aladdin Hassouna Saba — signaling institutional-grade governance and access to elite Egyptian and regional capital networks. Cultural initiatives such as D-TOUR walking tours (launched 2015), Khotout West El Balad (heritage typefaces winning Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx, D&AD, and Clio in 2016), Dakhli West El Balad (filming locations platform), and Downtown Tunes (Spotify partnership) extend the company's brand as Downtown Cairo's de facto revival curator. The company recently secured EBRD funding and announced the TamaraHaus hospitality expansion alongside the Knight Frank serviced apartments partnership, signaling continued operational scaling within Egypt.

Name

Al Ismaelia

Legal name

Ismailia Real Estate Investment LLC

Website

https://al-ismaelia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Al Ismaelia is a Cairo-based real estate investment company that acquires, restores, and operates a portfolio of 25 heritage buildings in Downtown Cairo as mixed-use commercial, retail, hospitality, coworking, and cultural venues under Egyptian heritage preservation frameworks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Real Estate Development & Adaptive Reuse

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Entertainment Venue Property Management (BPAJAGAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Heritage real estate development
• Adaptive reuse property
• Commercial property leasing
• Boutique hospitality operations
• Mixed-use coworking space

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial & Retail Leasing: Historic buildings restored by Al Ismaelia house diverse tenants — retailers, restaurants, cafes, offices, and F&B outlets — generating recurring rental income. The portfolio spans buildings such as El Shourbagy, Cinema Radio, 33 Sherif, and others across Downtown Cairo.
2. Hospitality Operations: Al Ismaelia operates or partners to operate hospitality venues within restored landmarks. TamaraHaus (operated by Alchemy Experience) blends design, art, retail, F&B, and hospitality. Mazeej Balad (La Viennoise building) offers boutique hospitality. Plans include 26 hospitality suites at TamaraHaus by 2026.
3. Coworking Space Operations: Consoleya, the renovated former French Consulate building, operates as a serviced coworking space with modern infrastructure (VRV HVAC, LED lighting, double-glazed windows). Revenue is generated through flexible workspace leases.
4. Event & Cultural Programming: Downtown Cairo's landmarks serve as venues for art exhibitions, film screenings, festivals (D-CAF, Cairo Design Week, CIAD), corporate events, and pop-ups, contributing to district activation and indirect commercial value.
5. Property Sales & Acquisition: Al Ismaelia acquires heritage buildings, restores them, and reintroduces them into the market. The company also handles property sale and acquisition inquiries. Consoleya's 69 million EGP investment represents a notable restoration-to-operations play.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Al Ismaelia acquires, restores, and operates heritage landmark buildings in Downtown Cairo, converting them into mixed-use commercial, retail, hospitality (TamaraHaus, Mazeej Balad), coworking (Consoleya), and cultural event venues. The firm manages a portfolio of approximately 25 restored buildings, leases space to retail/F&B tenants, operates hospitality and coworking venues, and curates cultural programming (D-CAF, Cairo Design Week). Its legal entity is Ismailia Real Estate Investment LLC.

Product overview

Al Ismaelia is a real estate development company focused on reviving Downtown Cairo through adaptive reuse and heritage preservation. The company operates a portfolio of restored landmark buildings converted into mixed-use spaces combining culture, retail, F&B, hospitality, and coworking. Key products include TamaraHaus (cultural hub with Tchai teahouse), Cinema Radio (multi-use events venue), El Shourbagy (retail with rooftop), 33 Sherif (heritage commercial), and Consoleya (coworking). Cultural initiatives include D-TOUR walking tours, Khotout West El Balad (calligraphic fonts), Dakhli West El Balad (location platform), and Downtown Tunes (Spotify partnership). The company partners with Alchemy Experience for hospitality operations and manages approximately 25 buildings across Downtown Cairo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TamaraHaus A restored early 20th-century Neo-Renaissance landmark in Downtown Cairo (originally Abdul-Aziz Radwan Bey building, completed 1910), transformed into a mixed-use cultural hub combining design, art, retail, F&B, and hospitality, including the Tchai teahouse. Future plans include 26 boutique hospitality suites, a fitness studio, and a rooftop restaurant by 2026.
• Cinema Radio A historic 1932 landmark building in Downtown Cairo, originally featuring Cairo's largest theater screen, restored into a multi-use venue hosting screenings, events, office, retail, and F&B spaces. Tenants include Studio Samara, GIZ, Diwan, SIP, and Mad Stitches.
• El Shourbagy (Davies Bryan Building) A 110-year-old heritage landmark designed in 1910 by Welsh architect Robert Williams, featuring a red-brick facade and Neo-Islamic entrances. Houses iconic retailers including Halawa Shop, Karak Boy, Anglo Egyptian Bookshop, and Caribou, with a notable rooftop venue.
• 33 Sherif A 1913 neo-baroque, Beaux-Arts landmark with a distinctive 45-degree facade in Downtown Cairo. Houses commercial tenants including CIB and Burger King.
• Consoleya Coworking Space A renovated historic French Consulate building transformed into a serviced coworking space featuring energy-efficient VRV HVAC systems, double-glazed windows, and LED lighting. Marketed to startups, creative agencies, NGOs, and professionals seeking heritage office environments.
• Mazeej Balad (La Viennoise Building) A boutique-scale heritage hospitality venue in the restored La Viennoise building, reintroducing boutique hospitality with historic charm and modern amenities. Downtown Cairo's first Michelin Key restaurant.
• Nabarawy Fashion Hub A sustainable fashion hub within a restored heritage building in Downtown Cairo, hosting boutique fashion tenants.
• D-TOUR (Downtown Walking Tours) A free walking tour experience launched in 2015 that welcomes locals and tourists to discover Downtown Cairo's rich heritage and hidden treasures across the district's iconic landmarks.
• Khotout West El Balad (Heritage Typefaces) A calligraphic heritage preservation initiative launched in 2015 in collaboration with JWT that revived Downtown Cairo's historic Arabic typefaces and reintroduced them in contemporary form as six free downloadable fonts.
• Dakhli West El Balad (Locations Platform) The first specialized locations platform launched in 2016, providing access for local and international artists and filmmakers to diverse spaces across Downtown Cairo.
• Downtown Cairo Platform A digital platform bridging culture, business, and community, showcasing Downtown Cairo's stories, spaces, and transformation through digital content and on-ground activations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 69 million EGP invested in Consoleya renovation alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Knight FrankflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 October 2025Al Ismaelia partnered with Knight Frank to deliver serviced apartments in Downtown Cairo. Knight Frank, a globally recognized real estate consultancy, acts as a channel partner to market and manage serviced apartment inventory, leveraging its international network and brand credibility to attract premium tenants and investors to Al Ismaelia's hospitality portfolio.
• Coventry University CairocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2025Al Ismaelia entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with Coventry University Cairo to link education with real-world urban development. The collaboration bridges academia and practice, positioning Al Ismaelia's restored buildings as a living learning laboratory for students in architecture, urban planning, and cultural studies. This is Al Ismaelia's most explicit educational and research partnership.
• JWT (J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Al Ismaelia collaborated with JWT on the Khotout West El Balad initiative to revive Downtown Cairo's historic Arabic typefaces and reintroduce them in contemporary form. The project introduced six free downloadable fonts and won international awards (Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx, D&AD, Clio Awards).
• Alchemy ExperienceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlchemy Experience is the hospitality operator of TamaraHaus, Al Ismaelia's flagship restored landmark. Alchemy Experience operates and manages the mixed-use cultural hub — blending design, art, retail, F&B, and hospitality — at 17 Gawad Hosny Street, Downtown Cairo. The partnership also includes plans for 26 boutique hospitality suites by 2026, a fitness studio, and a rooftop restaurant.
• GNK GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGNK Group collaborated with Al Ismaelia to introduce Studio Samara at Cinema Radio — a new entertainment destination blending live theatrical performances, elevated dining, and Egyptian cultural spirit in the heart of Downtown Cairo. This partnership reactivates the iconic Cinema Radio building as a premier entertainment venue.
• Hassan Abouseda ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHassan Abouseda Architects collaborated with Al Ismaelia on the restoration of Cinema Radio, the iconic 1932 landmark building. The firm's architectural expertise was essential in restoring the building to its current condition as a mixed-use cultural and commercial space.
• SpotifyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIn partnership with Spotify, Al Ismaelia curated Downtown Tunes — an immersive city-soundtrack blending legends like Aida El Ayoubi and Fayrouz with modern rhythms. QR codes at key Al Ismaelia landmarks invite listeners to connect with Downtown Cairo's rhythm in real time, extending the brand's cultural reach digitally.
• Art D'ÉgyptecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerArt D'Égypte is a recurring cultural partner that positions Downtown Cairo as a platform for contemporary art through exhibitions such as 'Ma'arad-ha' and 'City Art Walk'. Al Ismaelia's landmarks serve as exhibition venues, and Art D'Égypte's programming draws significant local and international audiences to Downtown Cairo.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SODIC: Publicly-listed Egyptian real-estate developer of premium mixed-use and residential communities (Villas, Caesar, Eastown). Comparable Egyptian-market mixed-use developer, with no heritage specialization but operating in the same premium Cairo segment where Al Ismaelia tenants reside.
• Emaar Misr: Egyptian arm of Emaar Properties (UAE), one of Egypt's largest mixed-use and master-plan developers. Operates at far broader scale (Marassi, Uptown Cairo, Cairo Gate) but shares the same Egyptian real-estate development market; relevant as a benchmark for institutional capital access rather than heritage specialization.
• Ora Developers: Egypt-based real-estate developer founded by Naguib Sawiris (Al Ismaelia board includes Samih Onsi Sawiris of the same family). Operates premium mixed-use developments in Egypt and beyond (Silversands, Pyramids Heights); comparable Egyptian-market incumbent though focused on greenfield rather than heritage restoration.

Direct peers

• Soho House: Soho House operates member clubs, hotels, and coworking spaces converted from historic and culturally-significant buildings worldwide (e.g., Chicago, Istanbul, Mumbai). Directly comparable to Al Ismaelia's model of acquiring landmark buildings and operating them as mixed-use cultural, hospitality, and workspace venues.
• Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas: IHG-affiliated luxury operator specializing in wellness-led, often heritage-property hotels (Six Senses Douro Valley, Fort Barwara). Comparable heritage adaptive-reuse and destination-revitalization positioning in culturally significant built environments.
• Paradores de España: State-operated Spanish network of heritage hotels housed in castles, monasteries, and historic palaces. Strongly comparable to Al Ismaelia's adaptive-reuse model that turns architecturally significant heritage properties into hospitality venues while preserving their historical character.
• Aman Resorts: Ultra-luxury resort operator known for restoring palaces, monasteries, and historically significant properties (Aman Venice, Aman Bagan). Comparable brand of transforming singular heritage assets into intimate, design-forward hospitality properties with cultural immersion at the core.
• Macdonald Hotels: UK-based operator of country-house and heritage hotels often set within historic castles, manor houses, and listed buildings (Craigellachie, Rusacks). Comparable business of restoring and operating multiple heritage properties as commercial hospitality assets under a unified brand and management approach.
• Belmond (LVMH): Owns and operates iconic heritage hotels, trains, and river cruises (Copacabana Palace, Orient Express, Splendido). Comparable operating model of acquiring landmark heritage assets and repositioning them as luxury cultural hospitality experiences.
• Firmdale Hotels: London-based boutique hotel group operating award-winning hotels in listed Georgian and Victorian buildings (Covent Garden Hotel, The Haymarket). Comparable heritage-building hospitality positioning and design-led curation to Al Ismaelia's TamaraHaus and Mazeej Balad concepts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/alismaelia
• Facebookfacebook.com/alismaeliaforrealestateinvestment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/al-ismaelia
• Instagraminstagram.com/al_ismaelia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Al Ismaelia