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 Club which was famed for its notables. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk* enters a club founded by princes and supported by the king The club, in its sense as a place in which elite members gather to spend time and practise some of their hobbies, first arose as an English initiative. The first known clubs were created in the early 18th century, specifically in 1709. Perhaps the cold weather was one of the reasons encouraging the use of this particular kind of closed space for friends to meet in. Matters differed in the neighbouring state, France, whose weather permitted friends to meet in open spaces. The countries of the Mediterranean became famous for cafés, to the point that Champs Elysees square in Paris gained wide renown in this arena. In Egypt, cafés appeared in the Ottoman era. The work, Le Description de L'Egypte which was written by the academics of the French expedition, provides detailed descriptions of the cafés of Cairo in the late 18th century. It mentions that there were 1,200 cafés, although they were very different from French cafés in terms of architectural style and furnishings. They comprised a collection of wooden platforms that formed something like round seats draped in mats that patrons reclined upon. The similarity between French and Egyptian cafés was in the boiled coffee that visitors sipped steaming hot. A café received between 200 and 250 individuals a day, and they would usually consume two or three cups of coffee each. In every café there was a number of storytellers and singers who would tell and sing tales both true and imaginary, sometimes about characters whose names might be found in ancient texts. In grandiose cafés, one might hear popular tunes performed by artists who earned fees from café owners and donations from customers. In such cases, visitors listened in silence, "and the artist, performing his songs, seems to be drowning in a deep dream." During the second half of the 19th century, specifically during the reign of Ismail and then during the period of the British occupation, a number of social changes took place that led to a new form of spending free time. This development can be observed as follows: Wide-scale European immigration to Egypt took place that in particular included the peoples of the Mediterranean, the Greeks, Italians and French, as well as the British subjects in this sea's islands, the Maltese and Cypriots, in addition to the rest of Europe's peoples including the Germans, Austrians, Russians and Englishmen. At one point in time, their numbers reached 100,000. While some of them conglomerated in specific neighbourhoods such as Garden City and Zamalek in Cairo, the Al-Ramal line in Alexandria, and the "Frankish" quarters of the Canal cities, others settled in the new middle class neighbourhoods that spread outside the walls of old Cairo, such as Al-Abbasiya, Shubra and Al-Sakakini, mixing there with the natives, who became influenced by their lifestyles. This resulted in the rise of two lifestyles -- "Frankish" and native. With this appeared two kinds of professions, whether tailoring, carpentry, restaurant entrepreneurship, or the running of grocery stores, and members of the middle class had to choose between them, either patronising one or the other. With the passage of time, interest in Frankish stores increased, for they represented sophistication and progress. Galabiyas began to disappear to be replaced by suits, and native sofas were replaced by French salons, while Egyptian meals were replaced by European ones. This change extended to ways of spending free time, and European cafés became widespread. Most of their owners, as well as those working in them, were Greeks and Italians. In addition to caffeine beverages, they offered spirits, instead of the narcotics offered in native cafés. Some held dance parties, which were of course unheard of in old Egyptian cafés. This was a source of pleasure for some, and the object of others' disapproval. At the same time, Egypt grew acquainted with clubs, which were established in the beginning as a destination for specific communities. The Greeks had their clubs, and the Italians theirs, while there were also clubs for Jews, the English and others. A number of Egyptians began to frequent some of these clubs despite their exclusivity. Despite the social origins of these clubs, with time some turned to sporting activity, particularly with regard to football. The English consultant to the Ministry of Education, Douglas Dunlop, introduced this sport into school programmes, and this was criticised by Egyptians who held that it was a game not in keeping with the prestige of education. The famous poet Ahmed Shawqi Bey even wrote a poem in which he mocked football. These types of sports clubs took two forms, either mixing the English with other Europeans such as in the mixed club, or active in competing with the English teams that were present in the areas of the occupation forces' bases, and which had a nationalist flavour. These included the clubs of the Canal region, such as the Egyptian club in Port Said and the Ismaili club in Ismailia, as well as Ahli club in Cairo. In addition to these sport clubs were social clubs established essentially among members of the European bourgeois. They gained an aristocratic appearance, and perhaps the most famous were Sporting Club in Alexandria and Gezira Club in Cairo. With the passage of time, personalities among the Egyptian notables began to join these clubs. Yet there was also another interesting development, one that came this time from those notables who decided not to suffice with joining clubs established by foreigners but rather to create their own private club. This took place in 1939, when the Royal Hunting Club was established through the initiative of a group of Egyptian princes. It was encouraged by the class of large landowners whose base had spread a great deal during that period, and who had become "Frankified", and it had the clear sponsorship of King Farouk. Al-Ahram took close interest in following the steps of its formation, and in doing so presented an unknown story about this Egyptian social institution. THE BEGINNING took place with the herald of WWII, when the sporting games page in Al-Ahram' s 21 March 1939 issue published the headline, "The duty of clubs should there be war in Egypt". This article stated that it was incumbent upon members, in their capacity as well-off individuals within the nation, to take on the largest share of duties imposed by the directorate of defence related to the weak and the poor, children, the injured, and the handicapped. It appears that this call increased interest in requesting club memberships, and this motivated our newspaper two months later to publish a definition of the "conditions of membership in Egyptian clubs". It noted that these conditions varied depending on the milieu of the club, and that every club was fully free, within the limits of the law, to reject any membership, especially since some of the sport games that some clubs were famous for required members to possess certain financial abilities and social standing so that their presence would not clash with the club's social and sporting harmony. This article also included the first reference in our newspaper to a new club that demanded a particularly special social position. It was not long before the first news came out about this club of notables. The news item was about the convention of the first general assembly of the Royal Hunting Club in its headquarters, 23 Qasr Al-Nil Street. In this assembly, the members decided to divide the country into areas, each one having a central committee composed of local residents "to oversee hunting affairs on land, water, and in the air. The Alexandria committee was the first, and it held its first meeting, which was attended by the club's president, member of the royal family Suleiman Dawoud, the city's governor, and the club's secretary, Mohamed El-Sweifi Bey. In this connection, our newspaper listed the names of a number of the members of the club's board, including two princes, two members of the royal family, three pashas and five beys, which revealed its nature straight away. It was natural for this kind of club to attract the interest of the press. This interest can be seen in the long article Al-Ahram published under the title "The Royal Hunting Club -- its mission and social affect". The article was full of expressions welcoming the new institution. It began by defining the importance of hunting, noting that all countries around the world had devised statutes regulating it. It also mentioned that all people incline towards hunting, for it bears with it an import of victory and patience. Our newspaper added that animals and birds live in the open country and deserts "and seek refuge in forlorn, thicketed areas. The mission of the Royal Hunting Club is to establish rest houses and facilitate hunting trips for individuals and groups, that activity being restricted to providing game, organising hunting, and providing its equipment." The article then turned to the conditions of hunting in Egypt, starting with game. In terms of birds, the first type that migrated to Egypt sought shelter among distant lakes in the desert and included several types of wild duck, including Bulbul, Sharshir, Tani, Hamran, Khadari, Zarq, the flamingo, the swan, Deek Al-Bardi and Farkhat Al-Maa. As for the migratory birds that sought shelter among trees, they included the turtledove, the sparrow, the quail, the raven, Azraq, the golden oriole, the bee eater, and Farkhat Al-Wadi. In terms of wild animals, there was the rabbit, gazelle, wild goat, wild pig, wild cat, lynx, fox and the wolf. Yet all these animals were scarce in Egypt due to its crowded population, the neglect of its deserts and open country, and the lack of rain in most areas. The second mission of the Royal Hunting Club was to organise hunting as a physical sport that energises the body and precludes boredom. This was to be done through planting forests in the desert, digging lakes in the open country, and setting seasons for the hunting of animals so that they would not die out. Due to the spread of deserts throughout the country, Al-Ahram viewed it necessary to plant large trees in holes at water level through the dry planting method. It also held it possible to release drainage water into the open country where reeds and cane grow, and which are beneficial in the fashioning of baskets. There was a great deal of drainage water in Egypt, such as from the pumping station in Meks, Alexandria, which emptied tonnes of water into the Mediterranean. Its third mission was to provide hunting equipment, such as nets, traps, hooks, arrows, and cartridge rifles. Only a few weeks passed following Al-Ahram 's detailed article before the club's president, "his honourable member of the royal family Suleiman Dawoud," gave a long interview to the press about the club's efforts and goals. In its beginning, he stressed that the club was different in that it was a scientific sports institution. As for its goals, they were regulating hunting in the Egyptian kingdom so as to allow those trained in this sport to practice it at the lowest costs possible. "The money that governments spent on this sport is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, and some large states have even established ministries and agencies specific to hunting, which has brought to the state treasury a large income." Among the club's important goals was the protection of animals in the air and sea and on land, and the preservation and even increase of birds useful to agriculture. As such, it would seek the issue of the necessary laws to prohibit hunting in some areas in which animals were few due to their annihilation by hunters, and during the seasons in which they gave birth, while importing some of the types of animals that used to live in Egypt but which had died out due to their lack of protection. Dawoud added that in Egypt there were many sites fit for the aforementioned aims, such as Sinai, the Western Desert, and Fayoum, and that the club was preparing a map of the Nile Valley in which the Egyptian kingdom was split into 12 sections. It had conducted an individual study of each section in terms of facilities, roads, weather, wealth, the customs of the population, and what kinds of birds and animals existed there. It was also creating new fishing ponds in a manner that prevented germs and did away with disease-spreading mosquitoes. If fishermen raised their level of skill and rubbed shoulders with amateurs, "they will be able to carry out their work through modern, technical means. It has become easy to meet the country's fish needs at a price within the reach of all." Because notables were to be found in many of the country's cities, the new club began to open branches. The first was in Alexandria, and Al-Ahram mentioned some of the port city's residents who gathered in the governorate headquarters to select a new office for the club branch. They settled on a place in the Heikal building, and in its first meeting it was decided to determine some of the special areas for bird hunting and fishing in the Maryout Lake region and to appoint guards there. It was also decided to request permission from the Egyptian military authorities for club members to fish at the Tabiyat Al-Silsila shore. This permission was granted on condition that fishing there not be permitted to other than club members. On 9 February 1940, the foundation stone of the club's branch in Port Said was laid. It was in the form of a "splendid pavilion" near the Ashtom Al-Gamil Bridge. The city's governor took part in this occasion, as did a representative of the Canal Company. A piece of land measuring 200 square metres was allocated for the building, and work was to be completed within three weeks. During that time, the club's general assembly convened its first meeting. Suleiman Dawoud deferred presenting the board's report to the clubs' general secretary, Mahmoud El-Sweifi Bey, probably because he was not fluent in Arabic. This report stated that the club had acquired several areas around the Maryout and Edku lakes for bird hunting, as well as licences for fishing in Al-Shirou, Al-Maadiya, Al-Talambat, and Al-Silsila areas in Alexandria. It had reserved fishing licences near Ashtom Al-Gamil in Port Said, and had built a new pond near Kom Oshim and filled it with water. Some of the members had taken desert trips, during which they had collected information that would form the core of the Egyptian guidebook that would be prepared to guide Egyptians to the hidden wealth of their country. Yet the first year in the life of the Royal Hunting Club was not all full of rosy days, as the report had suggested. For alongside the notables were the poor, who held that some of the club's activities violated their rights. This caused a battle nearly unheard of in Egypt's social history. THE BATTLE began when the House of Representatives' financial committee submitted a draft law to open up additional authorisation for a sum of LE22,000 to cover the cost of a plot of land from the endowments institution in Giza that would be added to the royal property through an exchange. This land would be used by the Royal Egyptian Hunting Club to build a school to train Egyptians to shoot well. Violent debates were held in the council that ended with returning the report to the committee in order to review the draft law. During the discussions, objection to the draft law was expressed that can be summarised in three points. Firstly, it would cost the state treasury LE22,000 at a time when the government was trying to save and was in dire need of money for vital and necessary projects. Secondly, the land exchanged could be exploited in a manner bringing material benefit. And finally, the Royal Hunting Club was limited to a special class of the well-off, and assisting it supported the class system. The committee responded that the matter was merely one of exchange and that it would not cost the treasury anything, for the government would concede 296 feddans of land in Kafr Damru in the northern Delta and would receive in return 55 feddans near Al-Gezira "and thus the authorisation requested is nothing more than a process of documentation." In its response, the committee refuted what was said about supporting the class system, and stated that it was sufficient to glance at the names of scores of the participants in this club for this misunderstanding to be made clear. It tried to lessen the effect of this objection by stating that university students would have the right to be trained in the shooting school free of charge, and that membership fees would be reduced at a reasonable rate for army officers. The session convened by the House of representatives on 16 January 1940 revolved around this issue. Al-Ahram described what took place as "violent discussions and the exchange of harsh phrases -- a campaign against the requested additional authorisation." Our newspaper also stated that the voices of the opposition sounded polite, humble and regretful and had perfected the tone of peasant farmers and the poor, thus gaining the respect and support of the listeners. "The quietness of the session's president, His Honour Mohamed Raghib Attiya Bey, assisted in the violence of the session! Yes, he gave the members freedom to discuss, freedom to interrupt, and freedom to exchange insults!" Under the headline "A fight", Al-Ahram told the story of what took place between the two members Abdel-Meguid Nafie and Abdel-Moneim Hashish when the latter stood upon the podium to explain his opinion on closing the door of discussion. The former objected, expressing his opinion that that was nonsense. Hashish responded that the argumentation of Nafie was what was nonsense, and asked how the president allowed a member to speak like that. "The president had been busy looking at the draft during this and then left it and said, 'there is no need for that, and I've done you both wrong.' Then he returned to reviewing the draft and the two representatives returned to their verbal argument." It seems that Raghib Attiya Bey was occupying himself more than he was truly busy, and that what took place on this occasion was nothing compared to what took place in subsequent parliaments in terms of inappropriate curses and the tearing off of shoes and threatening to hit the other party to a discussion with them. It seems that Egypt's notables were irritated by this opposition, leading them to settle the matter by it becoming the Royal Hunting Club in fact and not just in name. They approached palace circles and sought their protection, and it was not long before a royal decree was issued approving the draft law regulating the Egyptian Royal Hunting Club. The first two articles of this law indicated the primary goal behind it. The first article read, "the Egyptian Royal Hunting Club is under our auspices and its regulatory law, which accompanies this law, is authorised." The second article read, "the prime minister must execute this decree." The regulatory law the decree referred to consisted of 10 chapters and 39 articles. The first chapter determined the headquarters of the club and its sporting goals, and prohibited involvement in politics and religious matters among its members. The second, third, and fourth chapters were concerned with membership affairs. This was not exactly the same draft law that the club had submitted, for the Ministry of Commerce, which was entrusted with the affairs of clubs at that time, had inserted a text prohibiting involvement in political and religious affairs and the stipulation that no amendment to the regulatory law was final until it was authorised by the government. It also inserted a text stating that the ministry must be informed of the decisions taken by the general assembly of founding members and the general assembly of the club. Before a week had passed since the issuance of the law, the notables' club was confirmed as under the auspices of the kingdom when the palace announced that the soiree that had been decided the club would hold on the occasion of the hunting season's close would also be held under royal auspices. It was held in the palace of the Lutfallah family in Al-Gezira and attended by a representative from London. Despite the apparent aim of the party to dedicate its income to those devastated by a fire in Shabas town, what took place at the party bore no relation to it. According to Al-Ahram 's description, it opened with a show of games and the performance of songs. "Before midnight, the invitees patronised a splendid buffet prepared for them by the notables of the Lutfallah family. After that, they danced to the melodies of music, and separated late at night, praising those who held the party that had included forms of entertainment and joy." After that, the notables continued carefree on their path shored up by royal support, which Al-Ahram was eager to display on its pages. The first page of its 17 May 1940 edition was dedicated to news about His Majesty the King laying the foundation stone of the club's shooting school. This was accompanied by a picture of His Majesty shooting the first cartridge announcing the opening of the school. The newspaper did not mention if the shot hit any of the pigeons that had been set free on this occasion, but it most likely did not, for if it had, our newspaper would have applauded. Yet while the notables who were members of the hunting club were celebrating these various occasions, the most the poor could do was steal a glance between the walls of the club at what was taking place inside. They could not see much. * The author is a professor of history and head of Al-Ahram History Studies Centre.
