Category: writings
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Maqha New Crystal These panels of wood and glass were the entrance of an old traditional coffee houses on the corniche, which was completely demolished in 2019. The Arabic writing says Maqha New Crystal – or the coffee house of New Crystal. The off-white colored building had no architectural significance, but it was elegant and […]
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Why I write about cities This platform is place where I share my thoughts, observations and reflections as an architect, artist and individual researcher on cities, and notably Alexandria. But one can not talk about a city without studying the society who lived, still, and will continue to live in it. And we can not […]
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Salon Lambis Salon Lambis used to be written on the sign outside this barber’s. The name is not there anymore, as the sign has been painted over. For long time I was attracted by the very minimal but chic façade of the shop, the very rich interior and the vintage hairdressing tools inside. Finally, one […]
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Lebon & C IE A brief history of the Egyptian electricity If you were born after the 1960s like myself, probably you would see unfamiliar names or things that are deeply rooted in our history but, we know nothing about them. Once I passed by a building probably from the 40s and I saw unusual […]
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Corniche of Alexandria Somewhere on the blocked corniche of Alexandria where we can obviously read the social segregation in the city. This nice blue fence is actually dividing the scene into two groups. Those who are inside the fence enjoying good food, the view of the Mediterranean and the sunset, without noticing the people outside. […]
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علم اسكندرية ملاحظة تستحق التوقف. طول عمرى بشوف علم اسكندرية منتصب امام مبنى المحافظة او فوق المبانى الحكومية او مبنى الجامعة لكن دى اول مرة اشوف علم اسكندرية معلق من بلكونة وحدة سكنية. احنا كنا بنشوف اعلام الاندية او الفرق الرياضية وطبعا علم الجمهورية. بس دى اول مرة اشوف رمزية اقليمية فى محافظة من محافظات […]
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Porsche Speedster When the Alexandrian architectural heritage meets the German industrial heritage.A 1950S Red 365 Porsche Speedster. I could not find any explanation for this installation.
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Abou Jaoude travel bureau بيروت-طرابلس-دمشق-مصر-… Abou Jaoude travel bureauThe destinations are written in Arabic as follows:Beirut- Tripoli (Libya I guess)- Damascus- Misr ( maybe Cairo) and the last word is partly missing. The owner was Lebanese who sold the company and fled Egypt in the 1970s according to Al-Zahraa Awed. The missing word is Port […]
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DW 1883 On the same side, few meters after the doorway I came closer to the clean glass vitrine of the old shop Maison Raphael and knocked the glass door. Someone inside turned the lights off to tell they were closing. I insisted with a smile. Hesitating came the old man, opened the door, smiled […]
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Pentagram star inside the crescent This emblem was located on top of an industrial building. It seams to me a French decoration, but anyway I could not find any traces to its history or its connection to Alexandria. It would be great if anyone could shed some light.
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Rashad While wandering the old downtown of Alexandria you will come to discover that most of the old shops which have been constructed during the British occupation of Egypt, got their names only written in Arabic and French. Whether the owners were Egyptians or foreigners they rarely used English. This influence is due to several […]
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Commander Gohar Street شارع القائد جوهر هو ابو الحسن بن عبد الله مؤسس القاهرة ويلقب بالكاتب او جوهر الصقلى. ولد فى ارض الروم ومن ثم ل بالرومى، واحضر الى القيروان فى جملة من احضروا اليها من الاسرى. تنقل جوهر لدى اسياد اشتروه ثم قدمه الخصي خفيف الى الخليفة الفاطمى اسماعيل المنصور فجعله تابعه الخاص. وفى […]
Mohamed Gohar 