Egyptian X-File: What was that international conspiracy implemented in Cairo that Akher Saa issue no.926 spoke about?

On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of July 23—our official National Day, regardless of whether it's considered a movement, a coup, or a revolution—I came across something by pure coincidence last week.

It was issue no. 926 of Akher Saa magazine, published on 23 July 1952.

“An International Conspiracy Implemented in Cairo.” 
The cover of Akher Saa issue no.926 on 23 July 1952

Gracing the cover was the beautiful (and now, most likely, late) daughter of Mr. Mahmoud Beik Saleh El-Falky, then undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance in Alexandria’s Corniche district. Strangely, the magazine never mentioned her name on the cover—despite prominently featuring her. I’m not sure why.

1952 was probably among the final years when Akher Saa still featured socialites on its covers.

What intrigued me even more is that I believe Mahmoud Beik and his daughter are buried in the famous El-Falky Cemetery, established by Mahmoud Pasha El-Falky—the pioneering father of modern Egyptian astronomy.

Sadly, the El-Falky Cemetery was demolished this past April to make way for a new highway, despite public outcry and campaigns to spare Cairo’s historic City of the Dead. 

We lost that irreplaceable part of Cairo, despite all efforts and even a presidential committee formed to assess the situation, which concluded that there was no need to remove those cemeteries. 

Back to the magazine: the headline on that same 23 July 1952 issue read, in bold—
“An International Conspiracy Implemented in Cairo.”

Nasser and Company in Kodachrome

Egypt celebrates the 71st anniversary of the Free Officers Movement on Sunday. I have nothing more to say than what I have said in the past years: that movement proved to be a big failure for Egypt, despite its achievements. 

Its failure has been deeply felt in Egypt to this day and will continue to impact future generations unless a miracle happens.

Late President Gamal Abdel Nasser in a speech on MayDay at Abu Zaabal 
steelwork factory in May 1970. It was his last MayDay speech 

In 2023, we know firsthand that military coups do not bring democracy, social justice, or economic justice. We had a not-so-prefect level of freedom of speech and political freedom on 22 July 1952, that no other country in the Arab world currently enjoys. 

23 July 1952 Coup/Revolution/Movement at 70

It is the 70^th anniversary of the 23 July 1952 Coup/Revolution/Movement in Egypt. It is our national day that many love to hate.

There is less celebration for the day that changed not only Egypt but the Middle East. Let’s state a fact here, despite it was not the first coup in the Arab World as it was preceded by one in Syria, it was the most influential.

It is the Arab spring; our 25 January revolution was louder than the one in Tunisia. No need to speak about how things are in Tunisia or Syria or Egypt now.

Maybe we are tired, just tired from speaking over and over to reach the same results and lessons. Yet, no one wants to learn from their mistakes. When was the last time Egyptians learned from their very long history??

Unfortunately, the pros were less than the cons and the cons we are paying their prices domestically and regionally to this day above them the lack of political plurality and civilian rule.

This year a cover of Egyptian Children Magazine “Samir” that goes back to 23 July 1967.

You read it right, 23 July 1967 which is after a couple of weeks of Egypt’s worst military defeat in the 20th century.

Now, this is what is written on the cover depicting two children reading some book.

Egyptian X-Files : The curious case of Princess Fawzia’s diamond Parure

This post should have been posted last week but between work and what is happening at Cairo’s historical cemeteries overshadowed the plans I had.

This post is about another piece or rather missing pieces of the famous Princess Fawzia’s Jewelry collection. Last week, we saw the former Queen of Iran’s jewelry collection at Alexandria’s Royal Jewelry Museum as well as some famous jewelry pieces she wore whether in Iran or Egypt.

Nevertheless, we did not speak about her most famous jewelry pieces ever but now the time has come to speak about the famous legendary diamond parure of Princess Fawzia or the Holy Grail of the Egyptian Royal Jewelry.

The famous photoshoot of Queen Fawzia in Tehran
in 1942 by Cecil Beaton

Just like the striking beauty of the Egyptian Princess, that diamond parure was also immortalized when famous British photographer Cecil Beaton took those famous and official photos of Fawzia Fouad in Tehran in 1942.

Fawzia wearing the full diamond parure
in Tehran "Cecil Beaton"

But its story went back before 1942

In the year 1938, the Egyptian Royal Family commissioned French Jewelry House Van Cleef & Arpels to design a special diamonds parure for the new bride Princess Fawzia as her engagement to the Crown Prince of Iran was announced.

Kodak Agfa presents : Features of an era “The Mohamed Ali Royal dynasty of Egypt” in photos Part-2

This is the second part of my photo-series about my visit to The features of an era “Mohamed Ali Royal Dynasty” edition that was held in March 2019 at Aisha Fahmy Palace aka “Al-Gazeira Centre of Arts". You can check the first part of the series here.

I am still trying to hijack the Mohamed Ali whistleblower trend as he is back this time in the international media with interviews in BBC, NY Times and Guardian. There is a new round of interviews coming on the way by him as it seems.
He held a very raising eye-brow press conference in London calling for some revolution/peaceful-transition of power/referendum/reconciliation which many are puzzled with back home.
In the end, it is kind of ironic that Ali is the only vocal opposition figure in Egypt.

Back to the original Mohamed Ali and his dynasty in that exhibit.
There are lots of beautiful stuff in that exhibit that could not be presented in a single post.

Egypt's Mohamed Ali Family tree in the 19th century 

Aside from the very well crafted paintings and busts as well as the statues featuring the rulers of Mohamed Ali Royal family rulers, there were awkward artworks in the exhibit too.

Mohamed Ali Pasha looked like a sweet granddad here 

Like that marble bust made Mohamed Ali Pasha look like Egyptian actor Yahia El-Fakhrany "The veteran Egyptian actor wanted to play him on-screen" for real or like a kind old Druze religious man in the mount of Lebanon or Syria not like a man who built a modern state in the 19th century restlessly and violently. "Democracy and human rights were not on his agenda but it was the early 19th century and those two words were strange to the East" 


Now that's a painting to Mohamed Ali we used to know from history books along with his son Khedive Ismail.

The father and Son, Mohamed Ali Pasha in painting and Khedive Ismail as a bust 

One of the things that I like about this exhibit is that it featured also the members of the Mohamed Ali royal family that are not that famous to the public.

Like for instance, Mohamed Ali’s eldest son Tusun pasha when he was a young boy.

Once Again Jewelry of Egypt’s King Farouk go under the hammer : Lost Egyptian History

World-Famous Sotheby’s auctioned in London items that were once owned Egypt’s last King, King Farouk I in early June and once again there has been a complete silence on how those beautiful items that are part of the Egyptian National heritage found their way to the famous auction house.

The items were sold as part of Fine Jewels auction held earlier June.

Here is a quick look to the items previously owned by King Farouk that were sold in early June 2018

✽Lot No.199: Tie pin and cufflinks as well Ruby and diamond tie pin✽

There are tie pin and cufflinks made of 18-carat gold mounted with coins depicting young King Farouk of Egypt. The other tip pin in the lot is more beautiful.

The coins and the tie pins "Sotheby's"

It is decorated with the Egyptian kingdom’s crown set with calibré-cut rubies and single-cut diamonds.

The two tie pins and cufflinks were sold in their original green leather pouched stamped with the following in French “AH. Naguib Rey, Fournisseur de Sa Majsete’ Le Roi D’Egypt. Le Cairo-Paris” which is translated in to “A.H Naguib Rey {I think it Bey}, the fournisser of his Majesty King Farouk of Egypt {specialized in buying fancy stuff for the king}, Cairo and Paris.

AH. Naguib is Ahmed Naguib or as known in the Egyptian modern history Ahmed Pasha Naguib, King Farouk’s special Jeweler.

Historically, King Farouk I met his second wife Nariman at the Naguib Pasha’s Jewelry shop at Abdel Khalek Tharwet street in Cairo when she was searching with her family for engagement jewelry for her first engagement.

Interestingly, Ahmed Pasha Naguib used owned one of Presidency villas beside Heliopolis Palace where ousted Mubarak used to stay and there has been a battle between Naguib Pasha heirs and the state about it. That villa should return to them but what you know !!
The family of Naguib Pasha is still working in Jewelry business in Egypt.
Back to the auction.
Originally estimated at GBP 220-350, those two tie pins and cufflinks were sold for GBP 4,000 “ LE 95,825”
Sotheby's did not release online information related to how it acquired those items or when they were made.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Watches at Alexandria’s Royal Jewelry Museum

Egypt’s Royal Jewelry Museum got too many beautiful items and things that will make anyone blogger or journalist or photojournalist wonder which item or thing to post from it first.
Located in Alexandria, the museum got beautiful things to share whether its beautiful architecture or its history or its content from items that used to be owned by members of the Mohamed Ali Royal Family.
According to official statements, the Museum hosts 11,500 pieces or items previously owned by the members of the Mohamed Ali Royal Family that ruled Egypt from 1805 till 1952.
In May, Egyptian Chronicles presented a small post featuring the royal orders in the Museum.
Now, this post will feature a beautiful small collection of watches at that Museum.
Like for example, this beautiful watch owned once by King Farouk’s first wife Queen Farida.

Queen Farida's watch

Despite its black strap, that watch is encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.
That watch overshadowed the other watch on the left made off the leather strap and big golden body.

If you remember one of King Farouk’s watches, a-Patek Philippe watch was sold in a Christie’s auction in Dubai in March for US$ 912,500 ( LE 16.3 Million) to a phone buyer.
Most of the watches owned by members of the Egyptian Royal family had a similar fate. The few survived and made it to that small museum in Alexandria.
There are not too many wrist watches in the museum but there is a nice collection of gold pocket watches.

Golden pocket watches 

Some of those golden watches were made in the 19th century for a number of Egypt’s rulers and their wives.

Kodak Agfa Presents : The Royal Egyptian Orders and Medals at Alexandria's Royal Jewelry Museum

You have seen the exterior and the interior of Egypt’s Mohamed Ali Royal Family’s Jewelry Museum in Alexandria earlier this year.
I think it is time to explore its beautiful Jewelry and items inside it.
The Egyptian Royal Medals are exhibited in that beautiful gallery connecting the Eastern and Western wings of Fatimah Haider’s Summer Palace.

The Gallery between the Palace's East Wing and West Wing 

The gallery’s balconies feature amazing hand-painted stained glass showing romantic scenes from the Renaissance era.
Now to the exhibits of that gallery.

Egypt’s Order of Mohamed Ali

The Order of Mohamed Ali 

Founded by Sultan Hussein Kamel in 1915 to honor the heads of states as well the members of the Egyptian and European Royal families.
The recipients were entitled “Pashas” and “Excellency”
Till the declaration of the Egyptian Republic in 1954, this was the highest order in Egypt.
It was replaced by the Order of the Nile which was also founded by Sultan Hussein Kamel.

Where have Mohamed Ali Royal Family’s treasures gone ? or the curious case of King Farouk's bedroom

And as Egyptians were watching the current Presidential elections race in early January to see who is going to the king for the next four years whom they know very well, they got busy unexpectedly with something from the bygone true Royal era.

In early January, someone shared on Twitter photos which Flickr user Islam Taha uploaded to his photostream in April 2011 showing a bedroom reportedly owned by King Farouk of Egypt. That bedroom is up for sale at a famous U.S based antiquities gallery.(1,  2, 3, 4,5, 6 )

The bed and the two night stands "Rau antiquities" 

A group of friends who launched #MasrZaman’s active hashtag about Egypt’s history and heritage began to discuss that tweet and photos remembering how the furniture and jewels of Mohamed Ali Royal were smuggled outside Egypt illegally.

That discussion brought to the attention that news from September 2013 about how King Farouk’s bedroom at his Royal Rest house in Giza zoo disappeared and was replaced by a cheap bedroom.

On 15 January, Cairo-based Al-Molid website published a news report reporting about that royal bedroom that appeared in the United States concluding that it was the same bedroom that disappeared in 2013.

In no time, the story went viral online and shared across the Egyptian social media universe to the level that the U.S antiquities company had to remove its King Farouk’s bedroom website page from its official website and its special video from its official YouTube Channel.

It was the talk of the town that soon faded like any other thing despite it opened a file that pop-ups in 2018: Where have Mohamed Ali Royal Family’s treasures gone?

A King in exile reminds the government of its role

The matter reached that former King Ahmed Fouad II of Egypt and Sudan issued a short official statement about the bedroom suite that hit hard in January

Rebellion in Egypt’s Clubs : Beyond Classism

On Thursday, Egyptian Olympic Committee “EOC” rejected a request from The Egyptian Shooting Club to hold another General assembly meeting on Friday to have a new vote on the Club’s bylaws and rules once again.

The Upper Middle class-Giza club held its general assembly meeting early August and out of 94 thousand members, only 573 attended the meeting.

As a result of failing to meet the minimum number of members eligible to vote on the famous club’s bylaws, the club would be following the guideline bylaws issued by the EOC instead of the Club’s elected board of administration’s bylaws.

An old 1950s news report in some old
Egyptian magazine about Cairo clubs 

What followed then at upscale and Upper/Upper middle classes clubs in Cairo was hysteria and panic reaching to the level of mobilization for a vote to save the “clubs’ independence and class” that some considered unjustified. Before going on with that August hysteria, I must go back a couple of months to explain what is going on.

In May, the Egyptian Parliament approved the new Sports law prepared by Egypt’s Sports and Youth ministry “Yes, we have a ministry with such name” after two years of debates and amendments.
In June, President El-Sisi ratified the Sports law aka No.71 for the year 2017.

Aside from creating a judicial body that has the power to judge sports disputes and to regulate spectators’ attendance and violations “aka a special court, not a civilian court”, the law also regulates the relation between the government or the state and sports clubs as well sports associations.

Compiled as much as it can be with the provisions of the International Olympic Charter, the law moves power and control over sports clubs and sports associations to the elected boards of those bodies themselves as well to the Olympic Committee in Egypt. The government represented in the Youth and Sports Ministry and its minister will be monitoring only the sports clubs and sports associations.

Theoretically, this is a huge improvement because now officially and legally the State has got no control on the clubs and sports associations if their General assemblies chose the official guidelines bylaws over their clubs’ bylaws.

Seen in Cairo : Nabulsi Shaheen soap factory

Seen in Cairo: The once famous handmade Nabulsi Shaheen olive oil soap factory in Alazhar area, Cairo.

 In the first half of the 20th century, Nabulsi Shaheen was the most famous and popular soap in Egypt. There were several popular brands of the Olive oil soap, originally made in Palestine. The most famous brand was Nabulsi Shahin.

Originally named Nabusli Shaheen in the 1920s, the famous Nabulsi soap used to have a different name before the July 1952 coup. Its name had been Nabulsi Farouk from the 1930s to 1950s.

Yes, it was named after King Farouk of Egypt and Sudan due to his popularity at first in the country but it was changed as soon as he was ousted.

Seen in Cairo : Once a Credit Foncier Egyptien

The Credit Foncier Egyptien bank

A new Downtown Cairo building discovery for me: The Credit Foncier Egyptien bank building or as it is known now as Arab international bank "AIB".

Built in 1903 in its current location, the Credit Foncier Egyptian or the Egyptian Credit Foncier bank was active till its nationalization in the 1950s.

Originally Founded by Karl Heinrich and Raphael Suares in 1880 in Alexandria, it predated the National Bank of Egypt "NBE" so yes it was the oldest and first bank in Egypt. Reading more about it the Credit Foncier Egyptien Banque represented the French interests whereas the NBE represented the British interest for dominance on the Egyptian economy then.

Seen in Alexandria : The Spahi Palace on the go

First of all, I apologize for the lack of updates on the blog in the past couple of weeks. My mother had a surgery last week and I did not have time for anything else. 
Thank God, she is doing fine in her recovery now and I can take some time to update the blog. 
Tonight I share two very poor quality photos of the famous Spahi Palace of Alexandria I took while I was on the go in that Spring Break of last year. 

The Spahi palace in Alexandria

Spahi Palace is probably from the last few standing palaces and villas along with Aziz Fahmy that overlook the Alexandrian corniche and the Mediterranean. 

Built in the late 1930s , that palace was the residence of the famous Egyptian-Syrian Spahi family. Originally that palace was owned by businessman and industrialist Syria-born Fadel Spahi who built the first and the biggest textile factory in Alexandria. 

Needless the Spahi family was nationalized in the 1960s. Soon enough the family packed their bags and some of them headed to the U.S and some to Switzerland. 

It seems that the palace was sold to several owners. 

The current owners want to demolish it and sell the land which worths billions now. 

Seen in Alexandria : The Naval unknown solider memorial

Seen in Alexandria : The Naval unknown Solider Memorial.
Originally built as memorial to Khedive Ismail by the Italian community in Alex , the memorial's status changed to become for Egypt 's fallen Naval soldiers after the 1952 coup/revolution exactly in 1964.
There used to be a statue for the Khedive in the middle. It was removed and transferred to Alexandria's faculty of art.
The Memorial is under the supervision and care of Egypt's Navy forces.
Alexandria hosts Egypt's main naval bases for its navy fleet.

From Instagram's Egyptian Chronicles 

The tuk-tuk driver who spoke on behalf of many Egyptians now "Updated"

First of all,  God bless the soul of the 12 Egyptian Conscripts who were killed earlier this Friday by terrorists in Mid Sinai.
I won't say anything new more than what I have said before in similar incidents before: Something wrong in the strategies concerning war terrorism in North Sinai.

Second , In the past 24 hours , Egyptians had nothing to speak about or share about online except that tuk-tuk driver who was not afraid of speaking on camera about the woes of Egypt slamming its government and president directly and indirectly.

I am writing a post about the current crisis between Egypt and Saudi Arabia but I have to pause for awhile to write about that short 3-minutes interview that became the talk of the country for real.

Wednesday evening, prominent TV host Amr El-Lissy aired on his TV show " Someone from the people" on Al-Hayah Private TV channel a special report he recorded earlier about people's complaints "mainly from economic crisis" in the working class' local market at October city.

Among those people whom he interviewed , a "tuk-tuk driver" who is extremely angry because of the current economic situation as well how things in general deteriorated in Egypt since 1952.

Here is the video. The tuk-tuk driver appeared in minute  7:19 exactly.
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Angrily and eloquently , the "tuk-tuk driver" told El-Lizzy that instead of spending billions on mega-national projects, the government should spend more on education , health and agriculture "so Egyptians can eat".

During the interview , El-Lissy interrupted him and asked him from where he was graduated as he spoke very eloquently unlike the general perception of "tuk-tuk drivers" as uneducated. The man told him that he was a "tuk-tuk graduate".

In 3-minutes , that anonymous man expressed what many Egyptians want to say publicly on TV.

And it is time to remember that coup tonight

And I have nothing this year to write about the anniversary of that original military coup that changed not only Egypt forever but the whole Middle East except that photo.

Hakim, Nasser and Sadat in early 1960s with big grin

Happy fucking 23 July Dear Egyptians.
It is 2016 and we still do not how to achieve the so-called 23 July goals except one to be precise : Having a strong army as the Egyptian armed forces rank as the 12th worldwide according to Global Fire ranking.

Khamis and El-Bakry should die in 2015 !!

Yesterday the 63th anniversary of the famous execution of Kafr Al-Dawar textile workers Khamis and Bakry.
Mostafa Khamis “18 years old” and Mohamed Bakry “19 years” were young workers in one of Kafr Al-Dawar industrial zone's factories, they were among hundreds of workers who started a strike on 13 August 1952 demanding a raise in their wages.
Next day, the security forces dispersed the strike by force killing 12 people and arrested tens of workers.

Mostafa Khamis before his execution

The detained workers were referred to a special military tribunal led by members of the Free officers movement. The defendants did not have lawyers in that shameful trial.
Khamis and El-Bakry were sentenced to death in that shameful trial.
On 7 September 1952 , they were  executed.
Dear friend Omar Zazou decided to remind the people of what happened during then  especially when it comes the role of the Free Officers as well the Muslim Brotherhood in that shameful execution in very short and summarized tweets.
Zazou wrote that first tweet and got that reply from an old Egyptian man who lives in California “ I assume according to the geographical location of the tweet”

Kodak Agfa Presents: That old Bookshop in Khan El-Khalili

If you have ever been to the famous Khan El-Khalili quarter, I am sure that you stopped at a small bookshop inside selling old magazines and posters.

That bookshop in Khan El-Khalili

I do not know its name, but this is from the places you can not forget thanks to its excellent old magazines, newspapers. films posters and stamps

From old political magazines to comics magazines

It is the place to find old pricey newspapers and magazines in good condition if you are ready to spend a lot of money and do not like buying old magazines and newspapers from the El-Azbakeya market for old and used books in Cairo.

As I hinted the old magazines and newspapers are pricey, they are not cheap at all compared to other places in Cairo.

An old magazine from the Royal Family era pre-1952 can reach up to LE 1,200.

Queen Farida on the cover of Al-Mussawar magazine

About the Former justice minister’s statements and small victories

Last Tuesday Egypt’s minister of justice Mahfouz Saber had to resign due to a classist statement he said on a TV interview in an unprecedented incident. He resigned after a huge campaign in the social media network for few hours. The whole affair needs a detailed post.
It started on Sunday when Minister of justice then Mahfouz Saber said in a TV interview on Ten TV channel that the garbage collectors’ sons cannot be judges because judiciary demands a special class that is not too poor or too rich answering a question by TV host Ramy Radwan.

Former Minister of Justice Mahfouz Saber: Garbage collectors’ sons can not be judges

Radwan asked specifically about the garbage collectors’ sons and the minister answered frankly exposing ugly classism.
On Monday former blogger and current TV producer, Mohamed Maree launched #Fire_the_Minister_of_Justice and it became a top trending within hours. In the past 48 hours, this hashtag recorded  15,686 tweets mostly from Egypt.
Monday evening it was officially announced that Saber resigned from his position as minister of justice.
This is the whole affair in a nutshell.
Now what yo need to know that Mahfouz Saber does not represent himself only but he rather represents a whole trend in the Egyptian judiciary which believes that certain classes should join their exclusive club.

Happy F*cking #july23 Dear Egyptians

Happy F*cking July 23 Dear Egyptians every where.

Of course today is the 62th anniversary of the 23 July , the original coup that turned  in to a revolution.

Today President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi spoke to the public in another recorded televised speech on that anniversary reminding us that the the goals of the 23 July revolution are still alive. He spoke about the 25 January revolution and its goals as well the so-called 30 June revolution and how Egyptians restored their freedom in that revolution.

Already you will wonder  how his media and supporters keep attack the 25 January revolution calling it a conspiracy that he foiled day and night when he praised it.

He also said something interesting that a hungry person should not look for Freedom. “How can I look for Freedom when I am hungry” He said. 

You know it is quite clever because when you think about what he had said , you will remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.