He was one of the most distinguished and outstanding literary figures of his time, the father of Egyptian journalism, responsible for the revival of the Islamic heritage. He also succeeded in having a large number of Arabic books published and was the Middle East's pioneer of women's emancipation. According to his philosophy, education is a necessity that man cannot do without it. Man's mind, which distinguishes him from all other creatures, is the only thing that can save mankind, while animals have to rely on their physical strength. He asserted the importance of the mind as a power governing man's life. Like the philosophers of the Enlightenment, he believed in man's ability to change reality so as to meet the needs of the modern age. Refa'ah Rafie' Al-Tahtawi was born in Tahta, Sohag Governorate in Upper Egypt, on October 15, 1801, into a noble family. His ancestors assumed positions of authority and responsibility. While a child, Tahtawi enjoyed the wealth and other privileges that his social standing gave him. When Mohamed Ali came to power, he deprived the noblemen of their riches, as he implemented his economic reform programme. Consequently, Tahtawi's family were reduced to living in straitened circumstances. At the age of 12, his family moved from Tahta to Gerga in Qena Governorate and then Farshout also in Upper Egypt. Tahtawi soon learned how to read and write and committed the Holy Qur'an to memory. When his father died, he returned to Tahta and lived with his maternal uncles. His intellectual talents soon manifested themselves when he joined Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 1817. Tahtawi studied under and was deeply influenced by Sheikh Hassan Mohamed Al-Attar, the son of a poor tradesman. The boy went to Al-Azhar secretly and attended Sheikh Al-Amir's lectures. When the French occupied Egypt, Al-Attar fled to Upper Egypt. He was of the opinion that Muslim countries should benefit from the knowledge, sciences and educational methods of the West. He was a poet and also wrote on medicine and anatomy. In 1823, Tahtawi graduated and then taught at Al-Azhar for two years. He spent most of his time in Al-Attar's house reading Western books, which were not available and were indeed banned in Egypt at the time. Thanks to Al-Attar, Tahtawi was appointed imam (religious head of a Muslim community) of a battalion in the Egyptian Army till 1826 and later imam of the educational mission Mohamed Ali sent to Paris. When he arrived in Marseilles, France, he decided to be more than an imam. He started learning French as a means of translating Western sciences into Arabic. It took him a month to master the rules of spelling. Tahtawi believed in the necessity of opening channels of contact between the cultures of both the West and the East. As a result, Mohamed Ali decreed that Tahtawi be a member of the mission. Besides his post as an imam, Tahtawi studied translation. On October 19, 1830, he submitted to a panel of French professors 12 translations of French masterpieces in different fields, some of which were sent to the Cairo-based Bolaque printing house, along with the manuscript of the book he wrote during his stay in Paris, entitled Takhlees Al-Ibreez fi Talkhees Paris (Paris in Profile), in which he highlighted many of the positive things about the French capital. After finally receiving his degree, Tahtawi returned to Egypt in 1831. Prior to his return, reports of his excellence, ‘unchallenged supremacy' and promise were sent to Mohamed Ali. On his return, Tahtawi worked as a translator in the School of Medicine for two years. He was the first Egyptian to hold this prestigious position; previously, it had been dominated by Moroccans, Syrians and Americans. Meanwhile, Tahtawi managed to translate many books such as Explaining the Terminology of Anatomy. Besides his work at the School of Medicine, he also supervised the School of Preparatory Medicine. In 1834, plague broke out and Tahtawi had to move back to his village Tahta where he stayed for six months spending two of them translating one volume of Maltibron Geography. When he returned to Cairo, he submitted his translation to Mohamed Ali who awarded and promoted him. Tahtawi then suggested establishing a translation school, which was inaugurated in 1835 and was later named Al-Alsun (Languages) School. He was appointed as a technical and managerial supervisor at the school, teaching literature and Islamic and Western law, while choosing the books to be translated, as well as reviewing and rectifying translated works. Al-Alsun School gradually began to assume the structural form and educational content of a modern university. Tahtawi established the first ‘civilised' Arab university and Egypt's first museum of antiquities. In 1835, he submitted to Mohamed Ali a plan to preserve Egypt's antiquities. The plan, which was published in Al-Waqa'i newspaper, stipulated that any antiquities found by individuals should be handed over to Tahtawi in his capacity as headmaster of Al-Alsun School. Consequently, Al-Alsun's courtyard became the nucleus of the first Egypt's first antiquities museum. Tahtawi's interest in Egypt's antiquities was not just artistic, but also patriotic. He criticised Mohamed Ali for offering the Obelisk of Luxor, now standing in the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, to France as a symbol of friendship. Tahtawi founded the first Egyptian newspaper, Al-Waqa'i Al-Masria. He is indeed the father of Egyptian journalism. He also supervised the editing of the Military Magazine, in both French and Arabic. After Mohamed Ali's death, Khedive Abbas I came to power with his backward mentality. He resented Tahtawi for his enlightenment and had him exiled to Sudan. In 1854, Khedive Saeed succeeded Abbas I. He declared an amnesty for those exiled to Sudan. Determined to revive the intellectual and cultural achievements of Mohamed Ali, Khedive Saeed appointed Tahtawi as a member and translator in the Municipal Council. In 1855, he was also appointed vice president of the Military School in Al-Haud Al-Marsoud district. In 1867, he was authorised to outline the statute for organising national bureaux and was later appointed head of National Bureaux Council. He supervised Arabic-language teaching, interviewed teachers so as to choose the best and taught them new teaching methods. He also headed a lot of examination committees in Egyptian and foreign schools as well. In 1863, he established a translation department devoted to translating new laws and was appointed its director. Between 1866 and 1868, Tahtawi and his colleagues translated the French Law, the Ottoman Constitution, the Civil Law and the Commercial Law. In 1870, the Schools' Department issued a cultural magazine entitled Rawdat Al-Madares (The Garden of the Schools) and Tahtawi was appointed Editor-in-Chief. He held this position for the next three years, publishing six issues till his death in 1873. According to Tahtawi, education was the only way for development. He spent his life in learning, teaching and translating. It seems that from the moment he realised what he could give his country, he prepared himself to be a teacher. He believed that the road to civilisation starts with education which helps people to fathom the meaning of life. As mentioned above, Tahtawi was the Middle East's pioneer of women's emancipation, a cause, which Qassem Amin would later devote his life to. Amin is more famous for this, partly due to the fact that public opinion at the time wasn't ready for Tahtawi's sophisticated ideas and thoughts. Moreover, his writings were mostly directed to and available for governmental employees and educators. In 1836, Tahtawi, in his capacity as a member of the Education Planning Committee, suggested that certain measures be taken towards women's education. The Committee's move was not implemented but gained currency among families of powerful social and economic classses. Affluent families hired qualified teachers for their daughters at home. In 1872, Tahtawi wrote Al-Murshid Al-Amin (The Honest Guide) where he advocated building schools for girls and stressed that an educated woman has a happier family, brings up polite, well-behaved children and has better job opportunities if necessity demands. Tahtawi's efforts were finally crowned with the establishment of the first school for girls in Egypt in 1873. At the age of 72, Tahtawi fell sick. On May 27, 1873, he passed away. His funeral procession, headed by the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, made its way through the crowded streets to his final resting place in Bab Al-Wazir Cemetery, Boustan Al-Ulma, Al-Darb Al-Ahmar district, near Al-Azhar Mosque.
