Seen in Downtown Cairo : Omar Effendi's Abdel Aziz street branch

Omar Effendi branch in Abdel Aziz street 

Once upon a time, this was the most famous branch of Egypt’s and Mideast biggest and first department store and it used to be known as Omar Effendi.

This Neo-baroque building was designed by French architect Raoul Brandon. It is officially registered as monumental building and thank God for that.

That famous branch was inaugurated in 1909 by the chain founder Hungarian Adolph Orosodi under the name of Orosodi Bek then in 1920 he sold it to another businessman who changed its name to Omar Effendi and the rest is history with branches in Levant and Turkey.

The building is still beautiful despite it hit rock bottom, maybe one day it will revive again

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Omar Effendi department store was nationalized in 1957 but continued to serve millions of Egyptians in Egypt then the Egyptian government decided to privatize in the late 1990s it without a true transparent plan.

In the end, it became a victim of corruption then decay when it could continue to serve millions of people and generate billions of Egyptian pounds if managed properly.

Omar Effendi in its golden time when it used to be
Orosodi Back

Currently, there is one floor of this magnificent building operating.