Zamalek

Description

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

Zamalek (Northern part)

The Zamalek portion of the island is a mixed residential and administrative neighbourhood that is almost a diplomatic quarter with at least 52 embassies and consulates, 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 the Art Deco style. Along with Maadi, Mohandessin, Heliopolis, and Garden City, it is one of the more affluent residential districts in Greater Cairo, a fact reflected by clocking the highest average real estate prices in the city.

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

The northern third of the island is also culturally active: with art galleries, book stores and museums, including the Museum of Islamic Ceramics, the Aisha Fahmy Palace/ Zamalek Arts Center, and El 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 1869 Gezira Palace, still survives though as part of a hotel, and its former grotto is now the fish-free Aquarium Grotto Garden.

Gezira (Southern part)

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 colonial Gezira Sporting Club, while in the middle of its horse race course is the post-independence Gezira Youth Center. Zamalek is also home to the famous top league Ahly Sporting Club, and the Equestrian Club.

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 modern Cairo Opera House. Others are the Modern Egyptian Art Museum, the Gezira Art Museum (arts collection from the former royal family), Arts Palace, the Hanager Arts Center, the Music Library, and the Cairo Planetarium, though long disused. Opposite the grounds is the Ramses Wissa Wassef designed Mukhtar Museum.

History

Under Khedive Ismail the Island was called "Jardin des Plantes" (Garden of Plants), because of its great collection of exotic plants shipped from all over the world. French landscape designer De la Chevalerie designed the island's landscape plan, gardens, and plant 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 the Gezirah Palace, a U-shaped summer mansion, which was designed by and decorated by Carl von Diebitsch. The palace was built and first used for guests attending the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal. Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria and Eugénie, Empress of the French were some of the noble guests of the palace. Today the Gezira Palace is the central part of the Cairo Marriott Hotel, with its rooftop having an open-air theatre facing the Nile.

Other palaces were also built in Zamalek, including Prince of the Sa'id Toussoun's palace, which is now a branch of the Council of Ministers, and Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace (1924), which is now the Museum of Islamic Ceramics. In 1882 the Gezira Sporting Club was built in the southern region of the island. 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 East Umm Kulthum and the famous movie star Salah Zulfikar.

Administrative subdivisions and population

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

Landmarks

• Al Ahly SC (1907), the most successful sporting club in Egypt.
• Gezira Sporting Club (1882), the oldest club in Egypt.
• Cairo Tower (1960), the tallest concrete construction in Egypt, built near the Gezira Sporting Club.
• Egyptian Opera House (1988), built near the Cairo Tower, and one of the better performing arts venues in the Middle East.
• El Sawy Culture Wheel Centre (2003), () located beneath 15 May Bridge in Zamalek, one of the most important cultural venues in Egypt.
• Museum of Islamic Ceramics
• Faculty of Fine Arts (1908)
• All Saints' Cathedral, Cairo
• Gezirah House, Omarah El Yamani, Oldest Building in Zamalek

Education

International schools:

• Lycée Français du Caire Zamalek Primary Campus
• Pakistan International School of Cairo
• Previously, the British International School in Cairo (BISC)

Embassies

There are a number of embassies in Zamalek:

• Albania Albania
• Algeria Algeria
• Argentina Argentina
• Armenia Armenia
• Austria Austria
• Bahrain Bahrain
• Brazil Brazil
• Bulgaria Bulgaria
• Chile Chile
• China China
• Colombia Colombia
• Croatia Croatia
• Cyprus Cyprus
• DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Estonia Estonia
• Finland Finland
• Germany Germany
• Vatican Holy See
• Hungary Hungary
• India India
• Iraq Iraq
• Ireland Ireland
• Latvia Latvia
• Lebanon Lebanon
• Libya Libya
• Lithuania Lithuania
• Morocco Morocco
• Myanmar Myanmar
• Nepal Nepal
• Netherlands Netherlands
• Nigeria Nigeria
• North Korea North Korea
• Oman Oman
• Panama Panama
• Poland Poland
• Portugal Portugal
• Romania Romania
• Serbia Serbia
• Spain Spain
• Sri Lanka Sri Lanka
• Sweden Sweden
• Tunisia Tunisia
• Uruguay Uruguay
• Vietnam Vietnam

References

References

1. "Areas".
2. Rafaat, Samir. (2000-12-15). "Zamalek".
3. Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). (2017). "2017 Census for Population and Housing Conditions".
4. (1983-01-04). "Minister of Interior Decree 2662/1982". The Official Gazette.
5. (1921). "Egyptian Survey Department map of Cairo 1915–1921".
6. "Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah – Live the french way".
7. "El Gezirah Police Station, Zamalek, Phone and Address {{!}} Ministries & Government Organizations {{!}} Egypt Yellow Pages".
8. "Addresses and numbers of all embassies and consulates inside Egypt".
9. "Zamalek Today". e-dar.com.
10. Aqarmap. "Aqarmap.Prices Guide.Greater Cairo".
11. [[Peter Hessler. Hessler, Peter]]. "[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/13/tales-trash Tales of the Trash]" ({{webarchive. link. (1 August 2015 ). ''[[The New Yorker]]''. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2015.)
12. "Aisha Fahmy Palace {{!}} Cairo, Egypt {{!}} Attractions".
13. "Fineart Sector – Art Centers – Art Center in Zamalek".
14. "The Aquarium Grotto Garden".
15. "GEZIRA SPORTING CLUB MILESTONES, February 10–17, 1996".
16. "مركز شباب الجزيرة يتألق فى قلب القاهرةعبدالناصر صاحب قرار إنشائه .. والسيسى أعاده إلى الحياة بقرار تطويره".
17. "نادي الفروسية بالجزيرة, Zamalek, Cairo Governorate 4270105, Phone +20 2 27382996".
18. "Gezira Art Museum".
19. "Fineart Sector – Art Centers – Art Palace".
20. "وزارة الثقافة المصرية {{!}}الخريطة الثقافية".
21. (August 2025). "بعد ثلاثين عاما من الغلق.. هل تعود القبة السماوية فى القاهرة لدورها العلمى؟".
22. Dunn, Jimmy. "Zamalek". touregypt.net.
23. [http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cairovision1.htm touregypt.net -image: Prince Amr Ibrahim palace-Museum of Islamic Ceramics]
24. Raafat, Samir. (17 February 1996). "Gezira Sporting Club milestones". egy.com.
25. Raafat, Samir. (16 August 1997). "The Cairo Tower". egy.com.
26. (1 February 2007). "Egypt hosts London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra". travelvideo.tv.
27. (2009-03-17). "El Sawy Culturewheel in Egypt: From a place for beggars to a resort for intellectuals". [[CNN]].
28. [http://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/the-museums-of-islamic-art-and-islamic-ceramics/ The Museums of Islamic Art and Islamic Ceramics. Egyptian Monuments]
29. "zamalek101.com".
30. "[http://lfcaire.org/etablissement-informations/nous-contacter?showall=&start=2 L'administration du lycée]." ''[[Lycée Français du Caire]]''. Retrieved 23 January 2015. "Zamalek Site primaire 8, rue Ibn Zanki"
31. "[https://m.facebook.com/pakistanschoolcairo/ Official public page] at [[Facebook]]. [[Pakistan International School Cairo]]. Retrieved 12 January 2017. "Taha Hussain Street, Zamalek,, Cairo, Egypt" – [http://pakistanschool.edu.eg/Contact-Us/ Map] {{Webarchive. link. (18 February 2020 which shows location on Gezirah Island)
32. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20010124022300/http://www.bisc.edu.eg/ Home]." British International School in Cairo. 24 January 2001. Retrieved 19 July 2018. "Our physical address is: 5 El Yemeni Street Zamalek Cairo Egypt"