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Several of my articles on Garden City were plagiarized word for word by novelist MEKKAWI SAID (winner of the Egyptian State price for literature!!!!) and re-published under his own name in a three-part series in El-Masry El-Youm daily in September 2015. Cheers to our "talented" literature prize awardee. Your pain his gain !!!
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EGY.COM - MAADI
LEGEND OF MAADI'S STREET NAMES
From the book Maadi 1904-62; History & Society in a Cairo Suburb by Samir W Raafat
Except for six diagonal avenues all of "old" Maadi's perpendicular streets were numbered. Originally, all but one of the name-bearing avenues were in honor of the British and Jewish founding directors of EDLICO (Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company), which created the suburb of Maadi in 1906. The only exception was Maadi's main avenue which was named after King Fouad who ruled Egypt from 1917 to 1936. Previously it had simply been called Avenue Maadi
ORABI STREET
Re-named in 1956 after General Ahmed Orabi Pasha instigator of the 1882 revolt against the Khedive's men
Previously MOSSERI STREET
so named after millionaire banker extraordinaire Elie Nessim Mosseri Bey, a founding director of the Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company (EDLICO) which created Maadi in 1906.
MUSTAFA KAMEL STREET
Renamed in 1956 in honor of nationalist Mustafa Kamel Pasha (1874-1908) founder of Egypt's first Nationalist party in 1907 calling for the independence of Egypt from British domination and a constitutional government
Previously AMIRA FAWZIA STREET
So named in 1950 in honor of HRH Princess Fawzia (sister of King Farouk) who purchased a villa on the street. She lived there between 1949-59
Previously MENASHE AVENUE
so named after Count Jacques Bohor de Menashe a founding director of the Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company (EDLICO) which created Maadi in 1906.
PORT SAIID STREET
Renamed in 1956 in honor of the people of Port Saiid who defended their city against the Tripartite invasion (France, Britain and Israel) a.k.a. Suez War of 1956
Previously AHMED ABDELWAHAB PASHA AVENUE
So named in honor of the late minister of finance Ahmed Abdelwahab Pasha (d. April 1938) who built his large villa on that avenue in the 1930s. It was later purchased by perfume magnate Hamza Chabrawichi before becoming the residence of successive Israeli ambassadors.
Previously COLVIN AVENUE
So named after Sir Auckland Colvin the EDLICO's first CEO. Author of "The Making of Modern Egypt" Colvin was a senior British administrator in the Egyptian government and was responsible for putting Egypt's finances in order during the administration of Lord Cromer.
DAMASCUS STREET
Named after the capital of Syria
Previously PALMER AVENUE
Named after Sir Elwin Palmer first British governor of the National Bank of Egypt (1898), a financial advisor to the khedive and a founding director of EDLICO.
NAHDA AVENUE
Maadi's longest avenue running all the way from the Nile river banks to Digla
Previously KING FOUAD AVENUE named after Egypt's first constitutional monarch (d. 1936)
NAHDA SQUARE (ROUNDABOUT)
Previously MOSSERI ROUNDABOUT
On Mosseri Roundabout lived a German baron, a Jewish Pasha and a Syrian Merchant all of whom saw their lived flip-flop during WW2
AL-NADI AVENUE
Named after the nearby Maadi Sporting Club
Previously CATTAUI AVENUE
so named after banker and head of the Cairo Jewish Community Moise de Cattaui Pasha a founding director of the Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company (EDLICO) which created Maadi in 1906
SAD AL-AALI STREET
Named after the High Dam south of Aswan
Previously ROLO STREET
so named after banker Sir Robert Rolo a founding director of the Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company (EDLICO) which created Maadi in 1906
WAHIB DOSS AVENUE
Named after senator-lawyer Wahib Doss Bey who lived at Greystone Manor fronting the street
Previously WILLIAMSON AVENUE
so named after John Williamson a founding director of the Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company (EDLICO) which created Maadi in 1906. Williamson was the only EDLICO founding member who resided in Maadi in his castle-like house "Greystone Manor"
SUARES SQUARE
The only square which retained its original name.
so named after financier Felix Menahem Suares a founding director of the National Bank of Egypt and of the Egyptian Delta Land & Investment Company (EDLICO) which created Maadi in 1906.
Could not find (March 2013) any name-plaque/sign for this particular square (Midan)!
HADAYEK STREET
Hadayek meaning gardens is a street that runs paralel to the Helwan railway line in the area of Maadi-Sakanat (Sakanat meaning barracks in view of the nearby army barracks that were once there).
Today, Maadi Gardens or Hadayek El Maadi is devoid of its original gardens and villas most of which were replaced by unsavoury apartment buildings.
CANAL STREET
The dual Canal street ran alongside both sides of the Eucalyptus-lined Khashaab Canal before it was filled and turned into a public park unique due to its century-old Eucalyptus trees. The Canal remained for several decades a reference point dividing Maadi into two sections: Canal West and Canal East. Originally an irrigation canal the Khashaab originated south ot Torah running through Maadi and Bassatine spilling out onto the agricutural fields in the Dar al-Salaam area. The fields disappeared along with the Canal in the 1970s.
NOW
BEFORE
Road 14
two examples of street signs. The one nailed to a tree is a holdover of the 1950s with French used as a second language while the bottom sign is from the 1980s; English displaced its predecessor.
Queen Dina Street
So named after al-Sherifa Dina Abdelhamid the sometime Queen of Jordan who spent part of her childhood in her parent's villa fronting the street.
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