Building plans were finalized in 1929. A number of conditions were set down by the donor, amongst them a commitment to preserve two existing elements on the site: the ancient pine tree of Sheikh el-Halili and the two-storey stone structure, Qasr el-Sheikh. The building is almost completely symmetrical. Its central axis runs from the pine tree behind the building through the central courtyard and the main entrance. Exhibition halls surround the central courtyard on two sides and from two sides of the wide entry hall project two diagonal wings – one containing a library and the other, an auditorium. The director’s office and other offices were built in a row radiating outward from the center of the building, along corridors – some used for study and collections. Octagonal exhibition spaces containing niches for large objects stand at the meeting place between the main entry hall and the diagonal wings.