History

Archaeologists discover one of world's oldest ports on Red Sea coast

Trade and smuggling of Pharaonic antiquities in Egypt
11 Apr 2013
Archaeologists have reportedly uncovered one of the world’s oldest ports, dating back to the time of King Khufu, announced on Thursday Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim. The port was discovered in Wadi al-Garf, located on the...
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This week in 1958: An advocate of creative theater and free press dies

11 Apr 2013
Fatma al-Youssef, also known as Rose al-Youssef, died on 10 April 1958,* leaving an unmatched legacy: that of a woman who managed to transform the intellectual scene in Egypt. Youssef was a pioneering figure in the Egyptian theater and...
Yes

A restored historical neighborhood in Cairo might fall into disarray

  A courtyard in Beit al-Suheimi is set against buildings in Darb al-Asfar neighborhood.
07 Apr 2013
For 12 years, monuments conservator Hayam Ezzat has made her maintenance rounds in January and June, treading through an old creaking historical house at the heart of Old Cairo. In June 2011, however, she realized that her rounds would...
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This week in 1968: The Virgin Mary revisits Egypt

04 Apr 2013
On 2 April 1968, tens of thousands of Egyptians, Muslims and Christians alike, congregated to see the Virgin Mary appear above a Coptic Orthodox Church in Zeitoun. The dominant narrative, documented by the state-run Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar...
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Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh named cultural figure of the year

File photo of Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb.
02 Apr 2013
Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb was named the top cultural figure of the year by the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards board Tuesday. The organization's General-Secretary Ali Bin Tamim described Tayyeb as a researcher and specialized...
Yes

Authorities foil Nasser artifacts smugglers

A crowd of elders while receiving their pensions in el-Hadara, Alexandria. July 10, 2010. Crowds and clashes among pensioners occasionally take place in front of the office, due to lack of employees at the office.
28 Mar 2013
Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim announced Thursday that a special ministry unit had foiled an attempt to smuggle belongings of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser to the UAE. He said members of the Archaeological Seizures Unit,...
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This week in 1900: Architect Hassan Fathy is born

28 Mar 2013
History will long remember Hassan Fathy for his courageous yet unsuccessful attempt to use architecture as a tool that could challenge Western hegemony and transform the lives of Egyptians. Fathy was born on 23 March 1900. Throughout his...
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This week in 1937: Egypt’s censors ban their first film

21 Mar 2013
Celebrating the diamond jubilee of its confiscation of the film “Lashin” on 17 March 1937, Egypt’s Board of Censors marked the occasion by banning Amir Ramses’ “Jews of Egypt,” one day before it was set...
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Qatar offered to buy Abbas al-Aqqad’s house: Late writer's nephew

صورة أرشيفية للأديب و المفكر المصري عباس محمود العقاد
16 Mar 2013
Almost half a century after after he passed away on 12 March 1964, the family of Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad feels that the Cultural Ministry has failed to do justice to the legacy of Egypt’s iconic writer. In an interview with Al-...
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This week in 1964: Outspoken Brotherhood critic and intellectual dies

صورة أرشيفية للأديب و المفكر المصري عباس محمود العقاد
14 Mar 2013
On 12 March 1964, an Egyptian cultural legend died aged 75. For decades, Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad had engaged in intellectual and political battles with his contemporaries. He also called for the modernizing of the Arabic language and...
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