Taha Hussein (1889–1973) was perhaps the most important Arab literary figure of the twentieth century: a novelist, intellectual, and educator who championed secularism, women's rights, and universal education. Blind from childhood as a result of an eye infection, he rose from a poor village in Upper Egypt to become Dean of Cairo University and Minister of Education. His museum occupies the house he built in Giza in the 1930s, overlooking the Nile.
The house itself is an elegant example of Egyptian modern architecture, and the interior preserves his study, his Braille library, his personal effects, and memorabilia from his long life and controversial career. His autobiography, The Days (Al-Ayyam), remains one of the masterpieces of Arabic literature. The museum gets relatively few foreign visitors and the staff are often happy to explain the house's history in detail. A good counterpoint to the pharaonic attractions across town.