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Read inspiring stories, in-depth features, and insights about remarkable Egyptians and their remarkable journeys.

The Day the “Turf” Burned on Adly Street (Rare Photos)

Do not be surprised by the irony when you learn that the part of the gas station on Adly Street extending toward Abdel Khalek Tharwat Street exists thanks to a massive fire that led to the demolition of the building that once stood on the site, while also forever destroying the building’s symbolic significance. The building consisted of an elegant white two-story palace …

Jun 8, 2020•3 min

Places & Architecture

“Sidi al-Madbouli,” the First Claimant to Galaa Street

The name “Sidi al-Madbouli,” followed by the word “formerly,” appears beneath the sign bearing the name “Galaa Street,” even though he has no presence on the street. What is also intriguing is that “Sidi al-Madbouli” is used for the area overlooking Galaa Street, starting from Al-Ahram newspaper today and extending to Ramses Square, and that the current headquarters of …

May 31, 2020•3 min

Places & Architecture

Watch the Film “Downtown Cinema”.. Who Went Abroad and Left Their Heart Here

A group of young people driven by their love for downtown Cairo translated that love and nostalgia for the past into their project, “Downtown Cinema.” “Downtown Cinema” is a short film lasting nearly four minutes. Through it, the director conveyed his feelings by capturing scenes from most of downtown’s streets, famous shops, and historic buildings. With a short text accompanying the scenes, the director revived nostalgia for downtown among its admirers …

May 29, 2020•2 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

Etz Hayyim Synagogue

Etz Hayyim Synagogue, also known as Baruch Hanan Synagogue or Hanan Synagogue. The synagogue was built in 1900 for the Karaite Jewish community. Attached to it is a religious school called the yeshiva, established in 1947 and renovated in 1952. The synagogue also has what is known as a mikveh, a water-filled place used for ritual bathing and purification. The synagogue floor was severely damaged in …

May 28, 2020•1 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

Hosted by the Late Umm Kulthum!

Inside Umm Kulthum’s tomb there is a luxurious salon for receiving guests. The Lady of Arab Song furnished this salon to receive mourners for her mother, whose remains were transferred here when construction of the tomb was completed. Umm Kulthum had decided years before her death to build this tomb as her final resting place. On the wall behind the salon there is a poem by Ahmed Rami dedicated to Umm Kulthum, and a complete Quran …

May 25, 2020•1 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

117 Abbassia Street

This massive building, numbered 117 Abbassia Street and located at the intersection of Abbassia and Azim al-Dawla Streets, houses one of the Omar Effendi chain’s stores. Before the building was constructed, the site was occupied by the villa of the famous Wafd leader Fakhri Abdel Nour (1881 to 1942). Fakhri Bey Abdel Nour was an Egyptian politician from Girga and one of the prominent leaders and revolutionaries of the 1919 Revolution. …

May 19, 2020•2 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

Secrets of the “Hidden” School in Talaat Harb

Many people do not know that Talaat Harb Square in Cairo includes a school whose founding dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century and which is still operating today. The school’s first features appear when someone walking along Talaat Harb Street toward the square looks right, into the small street about 20 meters after Radio Cinema, and discovers an old building blocking it with a gate …

May 17, 2020•3 min

Places & Architecture

The Austrian Hospital... When Abbasiya Was a Healing District

After Austria’s defeat in World War I, the building became an orphanage affiliated with the American Mission. Then, in 1970, it became affiliated with the Egyptian Evangelical Church.

May 12, 2020•1 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

Ataba Was Once Called Farida

Do not be surprised to learn that the scene in Ismail Yassin’s 1959 film “The Green Ataba,” in which he tries to rename the square “Adila Square” after his wife, came very close to a real attempt to rename the square after a wife. However, the new name did not last long, and the square later reclaimed its name. During the reign of King Fuad I …

May 10, 2020•2 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

The Lost Hotel in Talaat Harb Mall

When you enter Talaat Harb Mall, imagine that if you wanted to spend a lively evening, you would continue straight ahead into the nightclub. If you wanted to spend a day or several days in a room or suite, you would turn left and find reception staff welcoming you, and if you continued walking, you would reach the cafeteria. These were the directions in the historic National Hotel, whose site is now occupied by Talaat Harb Mall. …

May 5, 2020•3 min

Cairo & Neighborhoods

Downtown Architecture Promotes Saudi Telecommunications

Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the forced evacuation of city streets around the world, Saudi telecommunications company Zain launched an awareness advertisement that spread hope among people confined to their homes and uploaded it to YouTube. The video, which received eleven million views, featured a little girl singing in a Gulf accent. It included distinctive scenes of downtown Cairo, from balconies to roads and passageways. Zain, which serves …

May 4, 2020•1 min

Places & Architecture

Take Your Meal and Drink and Walk Around Downtown... 10 Places Open Until Curfew

There is nothing like walking around downtown at night during the summer, especially in Ramadan, while enjoying drinks, ice cream, and sweets. With the lockdown and curfew imposed because of the coronavirus, these walks have become difficult or limited by the daily curfew start time, with cafés, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars closed. But as the Arabic proverb says, “What cannot be obtained in full should not be abandoned in full.” Here we recommend 10 places where you can order takeaway food, drinks, ice cream, and sweets and enjoy walking through downtown’s streets until the 9 p.m. curfew.

May 3, 2020•3 min

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