Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (664)
End of strong hand
, four times Egypt's prime minister, had a legendary firmness by which he formed his first government in 1928. However, by the time of his last Cabinet in 1939, Mahmoud's stature had (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (663)
Join the club
European immigrants to Egypt in the 19th century formed clubs which locals used to frequent. Egyptians liked the idea so much they decided to establish their own, including the Royal Hunting (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (662)
Battle of councils
There was no reason for the House of Representatives and the Senate to differ. However, when the government was dismissed in 1937, the Mohamed Mahmoud government dissolved the House of (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (661)
The Arab cultural capital
At one time, Egyptian culture was the fulcrum around which the rest of the Arab world revolved. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk looks into this pioneering role
Feverish attempts have (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (660)
Loaf of life
Egypt was the first country to make bread. Not surprisingly, says Professor Yunan Labib Rizk, it was also the first country to have bread-related problems
Bread has gained considerable renown (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (659)
War of the waves
World War II broke out on 3 September 1939. Two years prior, however, a different type of war broke out between the Allies and the Axis powers, a war of radio stations. Professor Yunan (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (658)
Parts unknown
In significant times, some people of little prominence nevertheless have a major role to play, writes Professor Yunan Labib Rizk
In times of international crises, unknown or unfamiliar (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (657)
Unlisted universities
The quality of university education in Egypt has always been suspect. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk points to a series of articles in Al-Ahram in 1939 which became part of the ongoing (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (656)
Special reporter
A 45-day tour of Italy, Eastern Europe and the Balkans gave Al-Ahram 's correspondent a glimpse of parts of Europe in the years preceding World War II. In turn, the writer provided (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (655)
Tax and tribute
One is based on the rule of the individual, the other on representative governance. Both are mirrors of governmental systems, but Professor Yunan Labib Rizk adds that the transition from (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (654)
A journalist from Oxford
Influenced by what he had experienced in English society during his period of study, an Al-Ahram columnist in the 1930s had a keen eye for Egyptian social behaviour and its (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (653)
France has her say
Despite the British occupation, French culture was the number one foreign culture among Egyptians. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk explains that even though the occupiers succeeded in (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (652)
Fascist celebration
Erecting a statue of should have gone smoothly but proved a difficult undertaking. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk explains why
"The King will unveil the statue of his grandfather Ismail -- (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (651)
Head of the royal cabinet
To this day, the post serves as a direct link between the ruler and his ministers. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk reveals the inside story of this high-ranking position
Following the (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (650)
To the letter
To this day, letters from readers constitute one of the most enjoyable short sections that Al-Ahram's audience has customarily welcomed. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk reads some out
In the (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (649)
Birth of a princess
Less than 10 months had passed since the marriage of the young man sitting on Egypt's throne, Farouk I, when news spread of the imminent arrival of the first of the new king's progeny. (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (648)
End of Grey Wolf
Egyptians probably did not differ over a personality as much as they did over , the founder of the Turkish republic. While his actions were a source of admiration for some, as Professor (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (647)
Shot near the king
On 5 September 1938, a gun went off in Alexandria Sporting Club as King Farouk was visiting. Though the target did not appear to be the king, the incident was thoroughly investigated (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (646)
Other Arabs
Egypt's relations with the rest of the Arab world has in the main been close. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk tests the ties that bound
The warm cultural relations that tied Egypt to the rest of (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (645)
Space for society
The long-running Al-Ahram column "Towards the light", written by journalist Mohamed Zaki Abdel-Qader and later his son, tackled the social issues of Egypt starting from 1938. Professor (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (644)
What European papers said
From the fall of the Sidqi government to the coronation of King Farouk, stories in the European press about Egypt were prominently displayed in Al-Ahram. Professor Yunan Labib (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (643)
Story-telling
An Al-Ahram column of the 1930s did not have enough luck to draw the attention of researchers yet contained a plurality of interests, the most enjoyable and useful of which addressed various (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (642)
The world outside
Egypt's varying degrees of historical independence reflected on its foreign policy, writes Professor Yunan Labib Rizk
A great deal of information was put forth in previous issues of the (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (641)
Sons of the earth
The 1938 government saw itself the saviour of farmers, whose plight the previous cabinet ignored. The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty became the document through which their situation would be (...)
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (640)
Crime and punishment
Laws were frequently broken in Egypt in the 1930s. Theft, drugs and matters of the heart were the major problem areas covered by Al-Ahram, presented as they happened by Professor (...)