Syro-Lebanese in Egypt

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The Syro-Lebanese of Egypt (

Since antiquity, there has always been a Levantine presence in Egypt, however, they started becoming a distinctive minority in Egypt around the early 18th century. The majority of Syro-Lebanese migrants who arrived in Egypt during this time were

Due to the rise in nationalism along with the loss of economic freedoms during the 1950s, a part of Egypt's Syro-Lebanese community left the country immigrating to the Americas, Europe, and Australia, as well as many returning to their native Lebanon (especially Beirut) and Syria.

History

The relations between Egypt and the

From the building of the Suez Canal to the creation of modern Downtown Cairo, Egypt's rulers went on a spending spree that attracted migrants from across the world. The Syro-Lebanese, who first migrated were French-speaking and well-educated (largely due to European and American missionaries), had a mindset in the British-run economy of Egypt at the time. As a result, they were able to flourish as an energetic and cosmopolitan community until the Nasser era of the mid-1950s, that adopted an Arabization mind set for the entire region. Most of the Syro-Lebanese were self-employed businessmen or craftsmen and had more of a "Westernized" education than others. Robert Solé, a French author of Levantine-Egyptian descent, describes all of these aspects of the Syro-Lebanese community in Egypt in his book, "Birds of Passage", as well as in his other publications.^[2][3]

The Syro-Lebanese established

In Egypt, many families of Syro-Lebanese origin became successful in Egypt's business sector along with the established Armenian and Greek communities. Many were involved in Egypt's booming cotton industry. The famous Egyptian newspaper, "Al-Ahram", was created by the Syro-Lebanese Takla family in Egypt.^[4]

Syro-Lebanese families dominated the publishing industry, owning major printing houses like Dar al-Hilal (est. 1892), which gave them enormous influence on the country's cultural life. Even Rose al-Yusuf, the quintessential Egyptian cultural figure from the first half of the twentieth century, was originally Levantine of Turkish descent. The (then) irreverent political and literary magazine she founded and named after herself continues to this day, albeit in state hands like Al-Ahram.

Even the material culture of Cairo has been suffused by Syro-Lebanese influence. The most prolific architect in Central Cairo between the 1930s and 1960s was Antoine Selim Nahas, who is seen as one of the modernist architects in Egypt. Nahas, who built among other important buildings the Beirut National Museum, established a wildly successful practice in Cairo, where he designed buildings for the rich and famous, often Levantine-Egyptians like himself, such as the actor Farid al-Atrash.

Even though the number of Levantine-Egyptians still in Egypt is drastically low today, the Syro-Lebanese community retains its strength in some aspects of the cultural and entertainment industries. Cairo's most famous restaurant entrepreneur, Nisha Sursock, comes from a prominent Beirut Greek Orthodox family.^[5]

The Levantine community in Egypt counted more than 100,000 members at the turn of the 20th century: civil servants, hairdressers, cobblers, drivers, engineers, dentists, doctors, shopkeepers, painters. Their aggregate wealth was reckoned at one and a half billion francs, that is 10% of the Egyptian GDP. Those who had capital invested it in small businesses (oil, soaps, tobacco, patisserie). Others created more important companies trading or producing salt, sodium, textiles, perfume, wood, silk. This economic success led to the foundation of schools, clubs, and charities, generally linked to a place of worship which was most of the time a church. A minority returned to their home village but the majority remained "semi-detached", settling for several generations in Egypt without for all that involving themselves fully in the host society.^[6]

In

The Shawam of Mansoura occupied key positions as medical doctors, showing why nearly half of the doctors in Mansoura used to be foreigners at that time, mainly Europeans. Levantines also notably became bank managers. Some Shawam earned the titles of Count, like Count Saab and Count Chedid. Others earned the titles of Pasha and Bek, while a few even earned the title of Emir (Prince), like the Lutfallah, and subsequently the Sursock, family.^[7]

Identity

The term "Syro-Lebanese" or "Syrian-Lebanese" is an

In Egypt, as well as other nations with Syrian and Lebanese diaspora communities, the Levantines mainly identified by religion and city of origin, rather than by ethnicity. For example, one could identify as a "

• Cairo - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection, Greek Catholic Annunciation Church, Greek Catholic Immaculate Conception Church, Greek Catholic St. George Church, Greek Catholic St. Mary of Peace Church, Greek Catholic St. Joseph Church, Greek Catholic St. Cyril Church
• Alexandria
  - Greek Catholic Dormition Cathedral, Saint Sabbas Greek Orthodox Church, Greek Catholic Immaculate Conception, Greek Catholic St. Joseph,
• Damanhur - Saints Constantine and Helena Greek Orthodox Church
• Damietta - Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, and an old Greek Catholic Church that was converted to a Coptic Orthodox Church.
• El-Mahalla El-Kubra
  - Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Augustine Catholic Church
• Mansoura
  - Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Saints Athanasius and Cyril Greek Orthodox Church, Dormition Greek Catholic Church
• Port Said - Saint Elias Greek Catholic Church
• Shibin Al Kawm
  - Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church
• Tanta - Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Dormition of the Holy Virgin Greek Orthodox Church, Presentation of the Lord Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Anne Greek Catholic Church
• Zagazig - Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church, Dormition of the Holy Virgin Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Diaspora

The number of Syro-Lebanese in Egypt has decreased due to the nationalization policies of the

• Albert Cossery
• Omar Sharif
• Youssef Chahine
• Henry Barakat
• Saleem Takla
• Georges Schehadé
• Paul Ghalioungui
• Badia Masabni
• Khalil Mutran
• Bob Azzam
• Mary Queeny
• Andrée Chedid
• Celine Axelos
• Henri Boulad
• Marcel Boulad
• Pauls Toutonghi

See also

• List of Lebanese people in Egypt
• Lebanese people in Egypt
• The Nahda Movement (also referred as the "Arab Renaissance")
• Modern Arabic Literature
• Arab cinema
• Habib Tawa, French historian, specialist of this issue

References