Egyptian Gazette
Encyclopedia
The Egyptian Gazette is an English-language
Egyptian
daily, part of the Al Gomhuria
group of news publications.
First published on January 26, 1880, it is the oldest English-language newspaper in the Middle East
.
Khaled Bakir is chairman of the Gazettes board and Ramadan Abdel Kader has been the editor-in-chief since July 2005.
by five Britons
, including Andrew Philip, as editor, and Moberly Bell
, later managing editor
of The Times
in London
.
In the 1930s, Cairo
became more important than Alexandria as a news centre and the newspaper's offices were moved to the Egyptian capital on 1938-02-28.
Shortly before World War II
, ownership of The Egyptian Gazette passed to the Société Orientale de Publicité (SOP) (Eastern Publishing Company), in which Oswald J. Finney, a wealthy British businessman, was the major shareholder. The Egyptian Gazette found itself associated with The Egyptian Mail, another English-language Egyptian newspaper, founded in 1914, and also owned by the SOP. The market was split between the two dailies, with the Mail appearing in the morning, and the Gazette in the evening.
At the end of the war and with the departure of most of the British Army
stationed in Egypt, the market for English-language newspapers shrank dramatically. As a result, and as continues to the present day, The Egyptian Gazette is published every day except Tuesdays, when the now-weekly The Egyptian Mail appears.
In May 1954, following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and the nationalization
program of President
Nasser
, El Tahrir Printing and Publishing House took over ownership of the newspaper from the SOP. Amin Abul Enein was appointed managing editor, bringing the newspaper under the editorial authority of an Egyptian
for the first time.
, the English-language weekly published by Al-Ahram
, The Egyptian Gazette has provided several important journalists with an opportunity to print their material.
Among these are Muhammad Husayn Haykal
, one-time Egyptian education minister
; David Du Bois, academic and son of the pan-Africanist
leader W. E. B. Du Bois; and, more recently, George Richards, founder editor of the Edinburgh Middle East Report
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Egyptian
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
daily, part of the Al Gomhuria
Al Gomhuria
Al Gomhuria is an influential state-owned Egyptian Arabic language daily newspaper. It was established in 1954.The present editor in chief is Mohammed Ali Ibrahim.The newspaper has flourished and now has many other publications including...
group of news publications.
First published on January 26, 1880, it is the oldest English-language newspaper in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Khaled Bakir is chairman of the Gazettes board and Ramadan Abdel Kader has been the editor-in-chief since July 2005.
History
The Egyptian Gazette was founded as a four-page weekly tabloid in AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
by five Britons
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
, including Andrew Philip, as editor, and Moberly Bell
Charles Frederic Moberly Bell
Charles Frederic Moberly Bell was a prominent British journalist and newspaper editor during the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
, later managing editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In the 1930s, Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
became more important than Alexandria as a news centre and the newspaper's offices were moved to the Egyptian capital on 1938-02-28.
Shortly before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, ownership of The Egyptian Gazette passed to the Société Orientale de Publicité (SOP) (Eastern Publishing Company), in which Oswald J. Finney, a wealthy British businessman, was the major shareholder. The Egyptian Gazette found itself associated with The Egyptian Mail, another English-language Egyptian newspaper, founded in 1914, and also owned by the SOP. The market was split between the two dailies, with the Mail appearing in the morning, and the Gazette in the evening.
At the end of the war and with the departure of most of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
stationed in Egypt, the market for English-language newspapers shrank dramatically. As a result, and as continues to the present day, The Egyptian Gazette is published every day except Tuesdays, when the now-weekly The Egyptian Mail appears.
In May 1954, following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and the nationalization
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
program of President
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, El Tahrir Printing and Publishing House took over ownership of the newspaper from the SOP. Amin Abul Enein was appointed managing editor, bringing the newspaper under the editorial authority of an Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
for the first time.
Editorship
| Year | Editor |
|---|---|
| 1952 - 1978 | Amin Abul Enein |
| 1978 - 1980 | Ramez El Halawani |
| 1980 - 1989 | Sami el-Shahed |
| 1989 - 1991 | Mohamed el-Ezabi |
| 1991 - 2005 | Mohamed Ali Ibrahim |
| 2005 - | Ramadan Abdel Kader |
Contributors
While never garnering quite the same international reputation as Al-Ahram WeeklyAl-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly is an Egyptian English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt.It was established in 1991 by the Al-Ahram newspaper, which also runs a French-language weekly version, Al-Ahram Hebdo....
, the English-language weekly published by Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
, The Egyptian Gazette has provided several important journalists with an opportunity to print their material.
Among these are Muhammad Husayn Haykal
Muhammad Husayn Haykal
Muhammad Hussein Haekal was an Egyptian writer, journalist, politician and Minister of Education in Egypt.- Life :...
, one-time Egyptian education minister
Education minister
An education minister is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters.-Country-related articles and lists:Minister of Education may refer to:...
; David Du Bois, academic and son of the pan-Africanist
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a "one African community". Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity...
leader W. E. B. Du Bois; and, more recently, George Richards, founder editor of the Edinburgh Middle East Report
Edinburgh Middle East Report
The Edinburgh Middle East Report , often abbreviated to EMER, is Scotland's only periodical dedicated to the Middle East. Founded in 2006 by George Richards and Camilla Hall, two students at the University of Edinburgh's Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Department, the Report covers political,...
.