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Zamalek

Coordinates:30°04′N31°13′E/ 30.067°N 31.217°E/30.067; 31.217
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Cairo district. For the football club, seeZamalek SC.For Zamalek as the nickname for Black Label beer, seeCarling Black Label.

Aerial view looking south, with the Zamalek and Gezira districts onGezira Island,surrounded by theNile.
A boat on theNilein the Zamalek area.

Zamalek(Arabic:الزمالكpronounced[ez.zæˈmæːlek],al zamalek) is aqism(ward) within the West District (hayy gharb) in the Western Area ofCairo,Egypt.[1]It is an affluent district on a man-made island which geologically is part of the west bank of theNileRiver, with thebahr al-a'ma(Blind Canal) cut during the second half of the 19th Century to separate it from the west bank proper.[2]The northern third has been developed into a residential area, which was home to 14,946 people during the 2017 census.[3]The southern two thirds are mostly sports grounds and public gardens, a stark green reserve in the middle of Cairo.

The island is connected with the river banks by four bridges: theQasr El Nil Bridge,Galaa Bridge, 15 May Bridge and6th October Bridge.

Description[edit]

Gezira Island is home to theCairo Opera House.

The island is divided into a northern third that is fully urbanised, and generally referred to asZamalek,same as the official qism name covering the entire island from 1983.[4][1]And the southern, green two thirds that have sports grounds, parks and a cultural district, and is stillcolloquiallyreferred to asGezira(lit. island in Arabic), the original name of the island[5][2]as is reflected in the names of many institutions there, for example theGezira Sporting Club,Sofitel Cairo Nile El-Gezira Hotel,[6]and the Gezira Police Station.[7]

Zamalek (Northern part)[edit]

The Zamalek portion of the island is a mixed residential and administrative neighbourhood that is almost adiplomaticquarter with at least 52 embassies and consulates,[8]in addition to a number of ambassadors' residences taking up what is left of its early 20th Century villas and mansions, many of them of theArt Decostyle.[9]Along withMaadi,Mohandessin,Heliopolis,andGarden City,it is one of the more affluent residential districts inGreater Cairo,[10]a fact reflected by clocking the highest average real estate prices in the city.[11]

Paradoxically, many apartment buildings suffer sporadic maintenance because the landlords rarely make improvements; therent controllaw (Old Rent) that allows several Zamalek complexes to house low income and middle income Egyptians despite the expensive real estate.[9]

The northern third of the island is also culturally active: with art galleries, book stores and museums, including theMuseum of Islamic Ceramics,the Aisha Fahmy Palace/ Zamalek Arts Center,[12][13]andEl Sawy Culture Wheel.Cairo's main Fine Arts faculty is in Zamalek, as well as the Conervatoire music college. Zamalek's first major building, the 1869Gezira Palace,still survives though as part of a hotel, and its former grotto is now the fish-free Aquarium Grotto Garden.[14]

Gezira (Southern part)[edit]

The southern two thirds of Zamalek is a mostly green area with sports grounds, parks and a cultural district. Dominating the middle is the originally colonialGezira Sporting Club,[15]while in the middle of its horse race course is the post-independence Gezira Youth Center.[16]Zamalek is also paradoxically home to the famous top leagueAhly Sporting Club,and the Equestrian Club.[17]

A former fair grounds located near the Qasr al-Nil and Galaa bridges has been converted over time into a cultural district where the central attraction is the modernCairo Opera House.Others are theModern Egyptian Art Museum,the Gezira Art Museum (arts collection from the former royal family),[18]Arts Palace,[19]the Hanager Arts Center,[20]the Music Library, and the Cairo Planetarium, though long disused.[21]Opposite the grounds is theRamses Wissa WassefdesignedMukhtar Museum.

History[edit]

Bulaqand Zamalek (undeveloped, and labeled as "Bulaq Island" ), in the c.1800Description de l'Égypte

UnderKhedive Ismailthe Island was called "Jardin des Plantes" (Garden of Plants), because of its great collection ofexotic plantsshipped from all over the world. Frenchlandscape designerDe la Chevalerie designed the island's landscape plan, gardens, andplant nurseries.On the east shore a kiosk was built for attending the island and supervising its development. Although the area is known as "Gezira Island", this is an unknown nomenclature for those living in Cairo and adjacent areas, most Egyptians know the area simply as "Zamalek".

The kiosk was replaced in 1869 with theGezirah Palace,a U-shaped summermansion,which was designed by Julius Franz Pasha and decorated by Karl Von Diebitsch. The palace was built and first used for guests attending the 1869 opening of theSuez Canal.[10]EmperorFranz Josef I of AustriaandEugénie, Empress of the Frenchwere some of the noble guests of the palace. Today the Gezira Palace is the central part of theCairo Marriott Hotel,with its rooftop having an open-air theatre facing the Nile.

Other palaces were also built in Zamalek, includingPrince of the Sa'idToussoun's palace, which is now a branch of theCouncil of Ministers,andPrince Amr Ibrahim Palace(1924), which is now theMuseum of Islamic Ceramics.[22][23]In 1882 theGezira Sporting Clubwas built in the southern region of the island.[24]Later a water garden known as the "Grotto Garden", with a rare collection of African fish, was built by British Captain Stanley Flower in Zamalek.

Several notable Egyptian figures lived in Zamalek including the Diva of the EastUmm Kulthumand the famous movie starSalah Zulfikar.

Administrative subdivisions and population[edit]

The 2017 census counted 14,946 residents in the island's four shiakhas.[3]

Shiakha Code 2017 Population
'Umar Khayyâm, al- (Omar Khayyam) 011803 1,392
Abû-l-Fidâ 011801 5,513
Jabalâya, al- 011802 2,992
Muḥammad Maẓhar 011804 5,049
District map of the West District (Hayy Gharb), showing qism Zamalek's four shiakhas, in addition to qism Qasr al-Nil

Landmarks[edit]

TheCairo Towerand Opera Square at night.

Education[edit]

International schools:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toZamalek.
  1. ^ab"Areas".cairo.gov.eg.Retrieved19 January2023.
  2. ^abRafaat, Samir (15 December 2000)."Zamalek".egy.com.Retrieved19 January2023.
  3. ^abCentral Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) (2017)."2017 Census for Population and Housing Conditions".CEDEJ-CAPMAS.Retrieved21 February2023.
  4. ^"Minister of Interior Decree 2662/1982"(PDF).The Official Gazette.4 January 1983.
  5. ^"Egyptian Survey Department map of Cairo 1915–1921".1921.
  6. ^"Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah – Live the french way".Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah.Retrieved24 March2023.
  7. ^"El Gezirah Police Station, Zamalek, Phone and Address | Ministries & Government Organizations | Egypt Yellow Pages".yellowpages.com.eg.Retrieved24 March2023.
  8. ^"Addresses and numbers of all embassies and consulates inside Egypt".yellowpages.com.eg.Retrieved24 March2023.
  9. ^abHessler, Peter."Tales of the Trash"(Archived1 August 2015 at theWayback Machine).The New Yorker.13 October 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  10. ^ab"Zamalek Today".e-dar.com.Retrieved15 June2010.
  11. ^Aqarmap."Aqarmap.Prices Guide.Greater Cairo".Aqarmap.Retrieved24 March2023.
  12. ^"Aisha Fahmy Palace | Cairo, Egypt | Attractions".Lonely Planet.Retrieved24 March2023.
  13. ^"Fineart Sector – Art Centers – Art Center in Zamalek".fineart.gov.eg.Retrieved26 March2023.
  14. ^"The Aquarium Grotto Garden".Atlas Obscura.Retrieved24 March2023.
  15. ^"GEZIRA SPORTING CLUB MILESTONES, February 10–17, 1996".egy.com.Retrieved24 March2023.
  16. ^"مركز شباب الجزيرة يتألق فى قلب القاهرةعبدالناصر صاحب قرار إنشائه.. والسيسى أعاده إلى الحياة بقرار تطويره".الأهرام اليومي(in Arabic).Retrieved24 March2023.
  17. ^"نادي الفروسية بالجزيرة, Zamalek, Cairo Governorate 4270105, Phone +20 2 27382996".eg.arabplaces.com.Retrieved24 March2023.
  18. ^"Gezira Art Museum".fineart.gov.eg.Retrieved26 March2023.
  19. ^"Fineart Sector – Art Centers – Art Palace".fineart.gov.eg.Retrieved26 March2023.
  20. ^"وزارة الثقافة المصرية |الخريطة الثقافية".moc.gov.eg.Retrieved26 March2023.
  21. ^"بعد ثلاثين عاما من الغلق.. هل تعود القبة السماوية فى القاهرة لدورها العلمى؟".الأهرام اليومي(in Arabic).Retrieved26 March2023.
  22. ^Dunn, Jimmy."Zamalek".touregypt.net.Retrieved8 August2008.
  23. ^touregypt.net -image: Prince Amr Ibrahim palace-Museum of Islamic Ceramics
  24. ^abRaafat, Samir (17 February 1996)."Gezira Sporting Club milestones".egy.com.Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2008.Retrieved8 August2008.
  25. ^Raafat, Samir (16 August 1997)."The Cairo Tower".egy.com.Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2008.Retrieved8 August2008.
  26. ^"Egypt hosts London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra".travelvideo.tv.1 February 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 31 December 2007.Retrieved8 August2008.
  27. ^"El Sawy Culturewheel in Egypt: From a place for beggars to a resort for intellectuals"(in Arabic).CNN.17 March 2009.Retrieved1 April2009.
  28. ^The Museums of Islamic Art and Islamic Ceramics | Egyptian Monuments
  29. ^zamalek101.com
  30. ^"L'administration du lycée."Lycée Français du Caire.Retrieved 23 January 2015. "Zamalek Site primaire 8, rue Ibn Zanki"
  31. ^"Official public pageatFacebook.Pakistan International School Cairo.Retrieved 12 January 2017. "Taha Hussain Street, Zamalek,, Cairo, Egypt" –Mapwhich shows location on Gezirah Island
  32. ^"Home."British International School in Cairo. 24 January 2001. Retrieved 19 July 2018." Our physical address is: 5 El Yemeni Street Zamalek Cairo Egypt "

30°04′N31°13′E/ 30.067°N 31.217°E/30.067; 31.217

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