History

Cookies with dinars

Were there really cakes made with dinars? The Fatimids in Cairo established a dedicated cake-making workshop called Dar al-Fitra, located next to the Great Palace opposite Bab al-Daylam – roughly the current site of the Husseiniya Square – and its purpose was to produce large quantities of cakes and sweets that were distributed to the common people and the elite a day before Eid al-Fitr…

Antinopolis commemorative coins

In 130 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian was visiting Egypt as part of a large-scale tour of the eastern parts of his empire. Naturally, Hadrian took his "favorite" page, Antoninus, with him. Fate would have it that the page drowned in the Nile River, causing the emperor great sorrow. It was then that Hadrian decided to build a city…

The gold coinage of Babylon

After Alexander captured the Achaemenid treasuries in Persepolis, Susa, and Pasargadae, he melted down their gold and silver and minted enormous quantities of gold and silver coins—especially silver—in Babylon, using the Macedonian style and the Attic standard to pay soldiers and distribute spoils among senior army commanders. Here we present a sample of the gold coinage minted in…

Damanhur Silver Treasure

Near the town of Damanhur, the capital of the Beheira Governorate, a small number of residents discovered a substantial hoard of silver coins in 1905. More than 8,000 silver coins of the "Tetradach" type were unearthed, most of them minted during the lifetime of Alexander the Great in the various cities he conquered throughout his historic campaign in the East. Unfortunately, the available information about…

Public toilet tax

During the year 69 AD, the Roman general Vespasian was besieging Jerusalem to suppress a rebellion when he decided to entrust the siege to his son Titus so that he could go to Alexandria and from there to Rome to claim the contested imperial throne. In Alexandria, he received news of the defeat of his rival Vitellius and that the Senate had recognized him as emperor, and…

The first Abbasid currency issue in Egypt

The mint of Egypt (Fustat) in the year 133 AH marked the final chapter in the history of the Umayyad Caliphate with the killing of its last caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad, at the hands of the Abbasids in the village of Zawiyat al-Maslub, in the Wasita district of Beni Suef Governorate. A few months later, a new bronze coin bearing the name of… was minted in Fustat.

The hobby of kings and presidents

What are the hobbies of kings and presidents? And why are they called that? Most of us know that King Farouk was one of the world's greatest stamp collectors, but perhaps not all of us know that US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was also a huge fan. This may have been one of the reasons for the friendship that developed between the two men, unlike the relationship that existed between…

Currency of the Imamate of Oman

Reviving the Egyptian Mint

The Ottoman governor Ibrahim Pasha al-Qabtan established the first Egyptian mint, or as it was known, the Darbkhana (minthouse), in the Citadel between his mosque and palace in 1709 AD (1121 AH). It remained in existence until it was renovated by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1812 AD (1227 AH). He continued to patronize it, ordering its expansion and the addition of areas for scales, gold testing, and a prayer room…

A gang that forged postage stamps was arrested.

The police successfully apprehended a dangerous gang specializing in forging rare postage stamps. In 1921 (translator's note: the conference and stamps were issued in 1926), the International Navigation Conference was held in Cairo. At that time, the Egyptian Postal Authority issued a new set of stamps in denominations of 5, 10, and 15 milliemes. Despite the sale of a large number of these sets, the quantity...

King Farouk and the promotion of stamp collecting

There is no doubt that His Majesty King Farouk I's interest in stamp collecting directly contributed to the spread of the hobby in Egypt. He had several notable experiences, one of which I will recount, though it may not be widely known. Most of us are well aware of the events surrounding the royal visit that took place in early 1946 when King Abdulaziz, the Saudi monarch, visited Egyptian soil and the reception he received…

Anwar Sadat and his hobby of stamps and coins

President or Hobbyist? Anwar Sadat, the third president of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the commander in the 1973 war, became known for his passion for collecting stamps and coins. When someone mentions stamp and coin collecting among Egyptian rulers, the names of King Farouk or King Fuad's mother immediately come to mind. However, there was another hobbyist...

Khedive Tawfiq and the reform of the Egyptian currency in 1885

The reform of the Egyptian currency in 1885 was a turning point in the history of Egypt. Under Khedive Tawfiq, the country faced financial collapse and war. Internal conditions in Egypt deteriorated after he assumed power, with financial problems being the root cause of Egypt's decline and the origin of foreign intervention. For any effective control over Egyptian affairs, the first and most necessary step was…

Lebanese Treasury Bonds Book

On January 31, 2023, Mr. Wissam Lahham and Mr. Ali Shour announced the release of a book entitled “Lebanese Treasury Bonds.” This book tells the story of how the Lebanese government raised funds by selling bonds. The bonds known as “treasury bonds” date back to ancient times, when rulers borrowed money from bankers to help finance their governments. They were known…

The Arab National Exhibition in Jerusalem

If an Arab tourist were to tour the Arab countries, diligently studying the economic conditions, traversing every tangible architectural landscape, and observing the evolution of minds and spirits, he would not be able to arrive at a comprehensive and all-encompassing picture like this magnificent, diverse, and multifaceted one known as the "First Arab Exhibition" in Jerusalem today. This is an excerpt from the opening words of a special report in the magazine…

French Egyptian Bank

What were the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the French-Egyptian Bank?… And how did Egypt come to own half of the Eiffel Tower in France? The Ottoman and Egyptian public debt: The Ottoman state budget experienced its greatest turmoil throughout its history due to the Crimean War, when the Ottoman state took out its first loan from European financiers to finance its war effort. Between 1854 and 1879, the Ottomans took out 18 loans totaling…

Pasha's Copper Pen

Do you know the story of Nahas Pasha's pen? Nahas Pasha (Mustafa al-Nahhas) (June 15, 1879 – August 23, 1965) was one of the most prominent Egyptian politicians of the 20th century. He served as Prime Minister of Egypt and Speaker of the National Assembly (now the Egyptian House of Representatives). He helped found the Wafd Party and led it from 1927 until 1952 when the party was dissolved. He also contributed to the founding of the Arab League. A few days ago, I came across a British article published on August 27, 1936…

The Story of Nefertiti's Head – Chapter Four

Let us continue the story of the Nefertiti bust: a love triangle between Hitler, Nefertiti, and King Fuad. Adolf Hitler gazed at his comrade-in-arms, Hermann Göring, thinking to himself, "He will live like a pig and die like a pig, knowing nothing about art…" Göring replied, "Adolf, just listen to my point of view… The Egyptians have agreed in principle to a friendship treaty with Germany only…"

The Story of Nefertiti's Head – Chapter Three

What is the connection between Nefertiti's head and Hitler's marshal's baton? Spring 1945, Prague, Czech Republic. Roy couldn't believe his eyes for a moment, remaining speechless, mouth agape as he gazed at the ceiling and walls of the luxurious office. The retired general appeared cooperative and perfectly calm outside, while his comrades, Mitcham and Herb, ransacked the house, searching for any loot or mementos…

The Story of Nefertiti's Head – Chapter Two

When was the head of Nefertiti discovered? The head of Queen Nefertiti, December 6, 1912. Good morning, Ludwig! And you, my dear Ernest, the weather is truly beautiful today... a welcome change for the better—the weather in this Minya province is usually anything but welcoming, but that's the fate of explorers, my friend! I sent Hamad and the other men to retrieve the remaining statues from Thutmose's workshop today...