When the Egyptian Geographic Society was established on 19 May 1875 by a decree of Khedive Ismaïl, the khedive allocated the annual princely sum of LE400 in State aid to the society. The famous German scientist and explorer Georg Schweinfurth was its first president.
Political change in Egypt and the change in its status from Khedivate to kingdom to republic in 1953 were reflected in the society’s name which changed several times until it finally became known as La Societé de Geographie d’Egypte (SGE), its current name.
Founding member
The SGE aimed at fostering geographical knowledge and encouraging geographical surveys and field investigations in Egypt and many of the unexplored areas of Africa and the Upper Nile. Over the years, the SGE carried out numerous research projects in Egyptian desert areas and the Sinai Peninsula. The findings of these endeavours were included in approximately 80 publications which still represent invaluable references.
Today the SGE is a non-governmental organisation whose main functions are to enhance public awareness of geography as a development-oriented discipline, initiate comprehensive field work in Egypt, develop research ties with similar societies in other countries, and organise local and regional meetings and exhibitions. The SGE produces several publications, The Bulletin of the Egyptian Geographical Society, the Arab Geographical Journal and the Geographical Research Series are among them.
A succession of public figures, scientists and even senior members of the royal family have presided over the society. Among them are Prince Abbas Helmy, Premier Ismaïl Sidqi Pasha, and Professor Safei Eddin Abul-Ezz, the current president and former Youth Minister who is head of the geography department at Cairo University.
The SGE is a founding member of the International Geographical Union (IGU). In 1925 the society hosted the 12th International Geographical Congress (IGC), held in the present headquarters of the society whose premises were adapted and prepared for this special occasion. The congress was opened by King Fouad and was celebrated at the Egyptian Opera House.
In 1962 the SGE held the first Arab Geographical Conference, which culminated in the establishment of the Union of Arab Geographers.
Unscathed
When fire consumed the Shura Council complex a few weeks ago, everyone expected the fire to have swallowed the SGE building which includes the Ethnographic Museum. It was one of the most pleasant surprises to discover the building had escaped the fire unscathed. Watani paid a visit to the place and met Dr Abul-Ezz who talked to us about its history.
There are two entrances to the Shura complex. The main entrance is on Sheikh Rihan Street and the other, which is on the Qasr al-Aini Street, leads directly to the SGE two-storey building. The first floor is occupied by the Ethnographic Museum.
Dr Abul-Ezz said that it was thanks to the wind, which was blowing in the opposite direction, that we still have the building safe and sound today. He explained that these 19th century buildings were built using the system of bearing walls, meaning the thick brick walls bore the load of the timbre ceilings and upper floors, which were supported on steel beams. This explains why the fire was so great, he said; all the wood burned easily, but the bearing walls and iron beams remained intact.
The first premises the SGE occupied in 1875 was a hall in the house of Mohamed Bek al-Daftertag who was the husband of Princess Zeinab Hanem, daughter of Mohamed Ali Pasha. The SGE moved several times before it finally settled in 1925 in the present beautiful building in the heart of Cairo.
Huge hall
While the first floor of the building hosts the Ethnographic Museum, the second includes a huge meeting hall; 35 metres long, 24 metres wide and 10 meters high. The ceiling is engraved with splendid floral and geometric designs, predominantly in blues. The 838 seats in the hall are arranged in circular grandstands. The hall was especially built to host the IGC of 1925. Several adjacent rooms are used as offices, a computer lab, and a great library named after the late Soliman Huzayin who was Culture Minister in the 1960s and headed SGE for three decades.
The 1992 earthquake caused damage to the building which was later restored, with the floors, ceilings and electrical wiring replaced.
The Library
The core of the SGE library at the outset consisted of some 2,500 titles donated by its founder, Khedive Ismaïl. Similar donations from members of the royal family and the Egyptian cultural elite were added and contributed to a marked escalation in the number of its acquisitions. Outstanding among these donations were the collections of Mahmoud Pasha al-Falaki, Prince Haidar Fadel and Crown Prince Mohamed Tawfik. Professor Soliman Huzayin left his personal library to the society, while Professor Abul-Ezz, the current president, has followed suit by donating a large number of reference books, periodicals, atlases and statistical sources.
The library’s exchange programme ensures an incessant source of new additions, acquainting with the most up-to-date developments in the discipline. Classical works by scientists and geographers still represent a considerable portion of the invaluable possessions and heritage of the society. The society is now digitising all its holdings; all card index information is automated and Internet linked.
The society’s splendid cartographic library includes a great number of old and contemporary maps and illustrations. Several rare maps were donated by King Fouad who ruled Egypt from 1917 – 1936. An atlas of Prince Youssef Kamal (1882 – 1965) includes old maps of Africa, while another dates back to the Napoleon’s military campaign against Egypt (1798 – 1802). The only complete Atlas of Egypt is also there.
Ethnographic collection
The Ethnographic Museum contains displays of Egyptian ethnographic, artistic and folkloric objects, as well as exhibits pertaining to Egyptian explorations in Sudan and Africa. These items, some of which are priceless, are grouped in four categories. The Egyptian Ethnography Gallery displays objects related to traditions and customs, with special emphasis on geographical distribution and regional differentiation. Paintings illustrate many of the folkloric customs and rituals which persist to the present day, such as marriage ceremonies, zar or exorcism rituals, public baths, circumcision, smoking habits and women’s ornaments and clothing. Also on display are interlaced stucco and coloured glass windows from the Islamic period.
The Cairo Gallery shows authentic handicrafts and industries such as manufactured items in copper, iron, wood, leather and glass. Many such objects are still in use as indispensable household utensils. The African Gallery contains a large collection of African ethnographical relics. Egypt’s modern interest in Sudan and beyond began in the early decades of the 19th century, and the display reflects the close ties between the two countries and the Egyptian contribution to central African exploration. The most prominent exhibit in the African gallery is the collection of Dervish arms and accoutrements from Darfur, Bahr Al-Ghazal, Somalia, Ethiopia (then Abyssinia) and Northern Uganda. Almost all the relics were donated by army officers who served in Sudan.
The Suez Canal Gallery has a fine diorama of the Imperial ship, The Eagle, at the inauguration ceremony of the Suez Canal in 1869. This diorama was displayed for the first time in an exhibition held in Paris in 1930, thus representing a historical record of how the landmarks around it appeared during the first stages of development. A large number of photographs show the stages of digging the canal and construction of new settlements.
The museum is at the Qasr al-Aini entrance to the Shura complex, and is open to the public Saturdays through Wednesdays from 9:30am to 2:30pm.