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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Narrow escapes
I was overjoyed when I heard that the Foreign Ministry had finally restored the Mohamed Ali Club. It is a true architectural gem; but it is also important as a witness to an entire era in our political history. I recall that, at the beginning of the Revolution, it was rumoured that the club would be closed down because it was associated so closely with the monarchy and the ancien régime generally. Ahmed Lutfi El-Sayed, however, enjoyed close relations with the Free Officers; it was said he was one of the candidates under consideration for leadership of the new republic. He told them at the time: "I am an old man, and this is the only place I frequent." They left it then. It's true, it would have been incongruous to see Lutfi El-Sayed Pasha sitting at Al-Fishawi, for instance.
An embassy was also about to purchase the Mohamed Ali Club from the state at one point, and use it as its headquarters. Then the Foreign Ministry stepped in at the last minute and requested that ownership be transferred in its favour. If that had not happened, we would have lost an important part of our contemporary heritage. Still, the club was neglected for many years; then I heard the ministry was planning to restore it. Strangely, we tend to regard only Pharaonic, Islamic or Coptic monuments as worthy of preservation; architecture from the late 19th and early 20th century is often considered alien to our national heritage.
I entered the Mohamed Ali Club once in my life, right after the Revolution, when the Fouad I Award was cancelled, later to be replaced by the State Awards of Merit or Incentive. I was one of the last to receive the award before it was abolished, but they gave it to me nonetheless -- for Palace of Desire.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
