Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Egypt at Life Archive

Of course you may have heard the wonderful news that the Google Images website now hosts a very rare Life Magazine photo collection.

I am mad about old photos and as soon as I read the news I began to play around with the new site. Let us say I became addicted to this wonderful archive. I found wonderful photos of Egypt chronicling some parts of its modern history from the 1940s till the 1970s. Wonderful photos about life in Cairo in the 1940s and 1950s. I found that wonderful set from the construction of the high dam till its inauguration.

Anyhow I search for our country's rare images and I found those rare and lovely collections and photos :

Egyptian Army Gen. Hassan Hosni Elzaidy (C), acting Chief of Staff, w. Col. Hossein Machmond (L) & Head of Staff Affairs, Mohamed Aly Gohary. July 1940The Egyptian army commanders in the 1940s needed a diet with my all due respect to them.”

The exterior of the Egyptian Embassy in D.C in 1943

The exterior of the Egyptian Embassy in Washington D.C in 1943

Abd El-Rahman Azam Pasha,min of Social affair in 1940 luncheon The first secretary general of the Arab League Abdel Rahman Azzam Pasha, this photo he was still the minister of social affairs.

King Farouk in Abdeen Palace King Farouk and an artistic shot from the Abdeen Palace

All the king's menAll the king’s men ,the second one from the left is his bodyguard and his close friend Omar Pasha Fatahi. “yes he was much older than in the TV series

Austrian Baron Hans Doblhoff, Egyptian Prince Abu El Moneim and Peter Zervudachi spending the evening at fashionable winter resort.st. Mortiz 1946

Prince Mohamed Abdel Manam in Switzerland in 1946

women sitting at Heliopolis Athletic Field as they watch a soccer match between the Medical & Artillery Units of the Egyptian Army which the King attended.

Ladies to sit here if they want to see that match between the Egyptian army units in the Presence of King Farouk in Heliopolis Club in 1940s

Um Kalthoum in a recording session for the Voice of Arabs radio station

Um Kalthoum in August 1956 in a recording session for the Egyptian Radio

Thuma singing

A close up shot for Thuma while she singing and I love her earrings

President Gamal Abdul Nasser at his home with his small son just after Port Said invasion.President Nasser walking in his home garden with his baby son “Abd El-Hameed” “ You know it is strange that this photo was in 1957 and yet they host Abd El-Hameed to speak about the time of the Royalty !! Abd El-Hakim is a business man and has from time to time his own financial legal problems”

Gamal Abdul Nasser (R) and Soviet Nikita A. Khrushchev (L) atop building during parade celebration. May 1958ç

President Nasser on his first visit to Moscow in 1958, the man giving us his back was Khrushchev

Syrian Akram Hourani (R) with Gamal Abdul Nasser in at moslem service. in Moscow in May 1958

Nasser praying with Akram Hourani of Syria in a Mosque in Moscow in 1958 !!

Nasser and Fidel in the UN Nasser and Fidel in the UN at the big apple.”The axis of evil then”

Mrs.Khrushchev in Cairo with Mrs. Nasser in 1960sMrs Nasser with Mrs Khrushchev in Cairo, the First Lady of Egypt with the first lady of the U.S.S.R in 1964.

         Ibrahim Zaki Egyptian Head, Ibrahim Zaki Kenawi, of Aswan dam project supervises work at damsite.1966Krushcheve reception in Cairo

On the Left an Egyptian Reception for Khrushchev in Egypt in 1964 and on the right Mr. Ibrahim Zaki of the Aswan dam project .

Chou En Lai in Egypt and beside General Mohamed Fawzy

Chou En Lai and on his left General Mohamed Fawzy.Mohamed El Sayed Shahine (Bey), the Mayor of Cairo, w. his wife.1940

The mayor of Cairo Mohamed Shahine Bey and his wife in 1940s

Al Tahrir Square or rather Ismail square

This is the Tahrir Square in the past , can you imagine it, some of the buildings are still there !!

Egyptian twins belly dancing at the Eden Roc night club Liz and Min

Egyptian twin belly dancers “Liz and Min” dancing in some American Nightclub in 1950s {I think they were Jews ,they also appeared in some Ismail Yassin film}

Prime Minister of Iraq Ahmed Hassan Baker reception in Cairo 1962 Iraqi Prime Minister and later President Ahmed Hassan Al Baker reception in Cairo in 1962 “God I do not like those little children with flowers !! I think in this visit he brought with him Saddam Hussein :( “

Egyptian Woman working in the TeleMisr factory in 1960sThis Egyptian lady was working in the TeleMisr factory. I am from the generation that still remembers the TeleMisr Television set, the set that used to be manufactured in Egypt.

 According to Life Magazine, half of the employees and workers in that factory during that time were women. Telemisr is still there to my surprise.

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5 comments:

  1. These photos are priceless. They are a true treasure. I love vintage photos of Egypt, especially since they remind of a time when Egypt was much more "modern" (as ironic as that sounds) than it is now. Thank you for sharing these photos Zeinobia! As always, your blog is a pleasure to view:)

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  2. thank you dear , I am happy that you enjoyed them :)

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  3. I adore your pictures as they remind me of "my" Egypt that only exists in my memories. A clean, progressive, advancing, modern, promising country and city. Thanks a million for a wonderfully tasteful and intelligent blog and pics, and keep it up please . Hisham

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  4. Hello,
    I am working on website for photographs taken by my father when we lived in Egypt from 1952 to 1956. You may be interested in having a look. The website is at www.coug.net/egypt

    Best regards,
    Jon Church

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  5. @Hisham,
    you welcome

    @Mr.Jon Church, thank you so much for sharing ,they are so beautiful

    ReplyDelete

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