Page 203 - Features of an Era
P. 203
2. The case of the Mansouriya Bridge, case no. 6 on the schedule of the Treachery
Prosecution, Judicial Year no. 1.
3. The case of the Hajjajah Canal, case no. 7 on the schedule of the Treachery
Prosecution, Judicial Year no. 1.
Article II: This order shall be effective from the date of its issuance in Cairo on
Muharram 13th, 1373 AH (September 26th, 1953 AD).
A Fondness for Arab Art:
Some chroniclers of the Egyptian modern art believed that the artistic taste of
Muhammad Ali’s family members was restricted to their fondness for Western arts,
especially those belonging to the classical schools based primarily on figuration for
merely decorative purposes.
However, the consideration of numerous facts from the history of many members
of the Royal Family, and the contemplation of their masterpieces reveal the great
exaggeration of this ill-founded opinion. Despite their strong passion for the Western
culture and arts, the relationship between the Royal Family members and the Eastern
culture and arts was never tenuous.
In this study, there are indications on the close connection between Muhammad
Ali’s family and the Eastern arts (see above Youssef Kamal and Sultan Hussein) to such
an extent that some of them preferred living in palaces designed in a pure Eastern
style, as the palace of Prince Muhammad
Ali Tawfiq (1954-1875) which still stands
in Manial. However, this trend was not
limited to the members of this family. It
was almost common among the upper
class of the Egyptian society then,
especially the elite strongly connected
with the ruling family and represented by
the titleholders and high-ranking officials
as the pashas and beys, who were at the
forefront of the economic, social and
political arenas at the time.
In this complex socio-cultural context,
a leading Arab woman model is recalled,
Mrs. Huda Sha’arawi (1947-1879), pioneer
of the Egyptian feminist movement and
one of the foremost women activists who
advocated for Egypt’s independence during
the first half of the twentieth century.
In addition to the national feminist Mrs. Huda Sha’arawi
movement that made her well-known,
Huda Sha’arawi was one of the most
203
Prosecution, Judicial Year no. 1.
3. The case of the Hajjajah Canal, case no. 7 on the schedule of the Treachery
Prosecution, Judicial Year no. 1.
Article II: This order shall be effective from the date of its issuance in Cairo on
Muharram 13th, 1373 AH (September 26th, 1953 AD).
A Fondness for Arab Art:
Some chroniclers of the Egyptian modern art believed that the artistic taste of
Muhammad Ali’s family members was restricted to their fondness for Western arts,
especially those belonging to the classical schools based primarily on figuration for
merely decorative purposes.
However, the consideration of numerous facts from the history of many members
of the Royal Family, and the contemplation of their masterpieces reveal the great
exaggeration of this ill-founded opinion. Despite their strong passion for the Western
culture and arts, the relationship between the Royal Family members and the Eastern
culture and arts was never tenuous.
In this study, there are indications on the close connection between Muhammad
Ali’s family and the Eastern arts (see above Youssef Kamal and Sultan Hussein) to such
an extent that some of them preferred living in palaces designed in a pure Eastern
style, as the palace of Prince Muhammad
Ali Tawfiq (1954-1875) which still stands
in Manial. However, this trend was not
limited to the members of this family. It
was almost common among the upper
class of the Egyptian society then,
especially the elite strongly connected
with the ruling family and represented by
the titleholders and high-ranking officials
as the pashas and beys, who were at the
forefront of the economic, social and
political arenas at the time.
In this complex socio-cultural context,
a leading Arab woman model is recalled,
Mrs. Huda Sha’arawi (1947-1879), pioneer
of the Egyptian feminist movement and
one of the foremost women activists who
advocated for Egypt’s independence during
the first half of the twentieth century.
In addition to the national feminist Mrs. Huda Sha’arawi
movement that made her well-known,
Huda Sha’arawi was one of the most
203
