Shobra
Encyclopedia
Shubra is one of the largest districts of Cairo
, Egypt
and it is administratively divided into three areas: Shubra, Road El Farag, and Elsahel
.
word , which means a small village or field, as the area is well known for its rich fields that neighbour the Nile River. In Egypt, there are many neighborhoods, towns and villages that bear the name of Shubra, for example, the administrative region of Shubra that is within the large district of Shubra, both of which are not to be confused with one of Cairo's industrial suburbs, Shubra El-Kheima. Of the less well-known areas — villages specifically — there are also several places that bear the name of Shubra, such as the Shubra Bekhoum village that is about 75 minutes away from Cairo. However, these areas are quite distinguishable as the word "Shubra" has come to include only a general meaning and does not fully describe all of these regions in a literal sense.
, Shubra was developed into a residential area after he built himself a palace in the area and extended Shubra street in 1808.
s in Cairo. There are several churches throughout the district's neighborhoods, such as the decades-old Church of St. Mary in Massarra
and St. George, El-Geushi. Shubra is served by the Cairo Metro
.
Shubra has also an Islamic flavor as there are so many mosques side by side to the churches in a way that most of the time you can hardly notice to which the minaret belongs. One of the most renowned mosques in Shubra is el Khazen Dar mosque which is named after a job at the time of the Ottoman empire.
The palace of Muhammed Ali is the most renowned tourist attraction in Shubra which cost more than 50 million Egyptian pounds to be restored.
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...
, Egypt
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...
and it is administratively divided into three areas: Shubra, Road El Farag, and Elsahel
Elsahel
Elsahel is an administrative region forming more than half of Shobra in Cairo, Egypt. Rod Elfarag neighbours the River Nile to the west, Road El Farag and Shobra to the south, Sharabeya to the east and separated by El Ismaeleya water canal from Qalyubia to the north.Elsahel hosts two of Cairo's...
.
Etymology
Ironically, although Shubra has been immensely large for the last few decades, the name originally derives from the CopticCoptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
word , which means a small village or field, as the area is well known for its rich fields that neighbour the Nile River. In Egypt, there are many neighborhoods, towns and villages that bear the name of Shubra, for example, the administrative region of Shubra that is within the large district of Shubra, both of which are not to be confused with one of Cairo's industrial suburbs, Shubra El-Kheima. Of the less well-known areas — villages specifically — there are also several places that bear the name of Shubra, such as the Shubra Bekhoum village that is about 75 minutes away from Cairo. However, these areas are quite distinguishable as the word "Shubra" has come to include only a general meaning and does not fully describe all of these regions in a literal sense.
Early history
During the rule of Muhammad Ali of EgyptMuhammad Ali of Egypt
Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha was a commander in the Ottoman army, who became Wāli, and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan...
, Shubra was developed into a residential area after he built himself a palace in the area and extended Shubra street in 1808.
Modern Shubra
The present-day area is now heavily populated, with an estimated three million residents, including a large Coptic population. Shubra has the highest concentration of CoptCopt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s in Cairo. There are several churches throughout the district's neighborhoods, such as the decades-old Church of St. Mary in Massarra
St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church Massarra
St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church Massarra is a church located in Shubra District, Cairo, Egypt.It was built during the time when Pope Cyril V of Alexandria was Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church and inaugurated in 1924-History of the land:...
and St. George, El-Geushi. Shubra is served by the Cairo Metro
Cairo Metro
The Cairo Metro in Egypt is the first of only two full-fledged metro system in Africa, and the Arab World. The system consists of two operational lines, with construction having begun on a third line in 2006....
.
Shubra has also an Islamic flavor as there are so many mosques side by side to the churches in a way that most of the time you can hardly notice to which the minaret belongs. One of the most renowned mosques in Shubra is el Khazen Dar mosque which is named after a job at the time of the Ottoman empire.
The palace of Muhammed Ali is the most renowned tourist attraction in Shubra which cost more than 50 million Egyptian pounds to be restored.
Administrative regions
Due to the large population of the area of Shubra, it is divided into three administrative regions:- Shubra (administrative region)
- ElsahelElsahelElsahel is an administrative region forming more than half of Shobra in Cairo, Egypt. Rod Elfarag neighbours the River Nile to the west, Road El Farag and Shobra to the south, Sharabeya to the east and separated by El Ismaeleya water canal from Qalyubia to the north.Elsahel hosts two of Cairo's...
- Road El Farag or Rhodhe روض : literally means garden which is in the Arabic translation of Rhodhe el farag
Famous residents
- In the 1940s and 1950s, Nazir GayyedPope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
(before becoming Pope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of AlexandriaPope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
in 1971) was notable in serving the Coptic Orthodox communities in the district of Shubra, particularly Saint Antonious Church in Shubra. - The famous French-Italian singer DalidaDalidaDalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...
was born in Shubra in 1933.