Shubra, Revisited

Last month, I posted House of Foreigners Revisited because a reader came forward to tell his family history about his house in Shubra. Recently, another reader has expressed his family history in Shubra in the early twentieth century. I thought it might be interesting to extend an invitation to all who would like to post family history who lived in Cairo from 1850 to 1950. There is nostalgia and longing for Egypt who were born, raised, and lived through this period and left due to the 1952 Revolution. I would be happy to collect these stories on this page. Just comment on this page and I will email to connect.

Here is the family story of Richard Milosh who lives in Australia now. He says:

I was born in Shubra, Immeuble Garabedian, second floor, off the main Shubra street No. 45. I was born in 1941. In that building lived a number of related families of Italian, and Yugoslav nationality. Eventually, soon after the burning of Cairo, Saturday, 26 January 1952, one by one and two by twos, we all left Egypt for a safer place with a future. My father was born in Faggalah, Cairo in 1913 and went to school at the French St Joseph college (Khoronfish), Collège des Fréres. My mother was also born in Cairo, probably in Shubra as well. I blame the military coup of Nasser & Co. for the demise and scattering of my extended family that once upon a time considered Egypt their home.

I have settled in Australia where I have arrived from Egypt in 1963 with my parents. My Armenian grandparents also joined us in Australia a year later. Happy Sham el Nessim but be careful with the Coronavirus.


On May 29, 2015, Megawra sponsored a city walk through Shubra (See: Shubra, Off the Beaten Path) , a district of Cairo to the north and east of the railroad station: skirting Ahmad Helmi Street to the east; to the west, the Nile Corniche; to the north, the Delta by way of the Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural. Screen Shot 2020-03-17 at 11.23.04 AM

The district of Shubra is one of the most densely populated parts of Cairo with approximately four million  people. Once upon a time, Shubra was a small village; the word, Shubra, actually means ‘small village’ from the Coptic word, ϭⲱⲡⲣⲟŠopro. (WikipediaShubra remained primarily agricultural until Muhammad Ali Pasha built his palace there in 1808. He also constructed a boulevard one hundred feet wide, lined with trees from his palace to el-Azbakiya.  Following the example of Muhammed Ali Pasha, other members of the royal family and the upper class built villas and summer residences at Shubra. In 1903, a tramline was built on the grand boulevard, and this area opened up to urban development.

The district of Shubra is one of the most densely populated parts of Cairo with approximately four million  people. Once upon a time, Shubra was a small village; the word, Shubra, actually means ‘small village’ from the Coptic word, ϭⲱⲡⲣⲟŠopro. (WikipediaShubra remained primarily agricultural until Muhammad Ali Pasha built his palace there in 1808. He also constructed a boulevard one hundred feet wide, lined with trees from his palace to el-Azbakiya.  Following the example of Muhammed Ali Pasha, other members of the royal family and the upper class built villas and summer residences at Shubra. In 1903, a tramline was built on the grand boulevard, and this area opened up to urban development.

All Photographs and text are under international copyright laws. No re-use without the written permission of Lesley Lababidi 2023.

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