Andrew Nasser, the revolution of 1919 and the construction of a Nile crossing to save the delegation ship
The demolition of an “Egyptian” palace that hosted Saad Zaghloul and challenged the British
The demolition of the palace removed a witness to an important stage in the history of Egypt's struggle against the British occupation.
From the source
Palace during demolition.
From the source
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Yesterday evening, the bulldozers put an end to the years-long quarrel over keeping or removing the palace of Tawfik Andraos, one of the leaders of the 1919 revolution and a companion of the two leaders Saad Zaghloul and Mustafa al-Nahhas, located on the banks of the Nile in Luxor in Upper Egypt, where the idea of demolition was widely criticized by academics. And intellectuals, journalists, and a section of Luxor residents, while executive authorities insisted on demolishing it as “failing to fall,” and removing it, according to their view, is necessary to reach important archaeological excavations beneath it.
The history of the palace dates back to 1897, and it contained dozens of artifacts that were transferred to the stores of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority. His companion to the British occupation authorities in 1921, by seeking to host Saad Zaghloul, who was on a Nile tour passing through the cities of the Egyptian country, on board the steamer “Nubia”, as the British sought to prevent his descent to these cities because of their fear of his revolutionary role, so Tawfiq Andraos took advantage of his position as consul. To Italy, to extend a wooden crossing from the palace to the ship, for Zaghloul to descend in Luxor after he failed to disembark Gerga and Assiut, according to historical accounts. , Safiya Zagloul, depleted the coffers of the delegation, who was leading the revolution.In recent years, the palace was occupied by the daughters of Tawfik Andraos, Jamila, Lodi, and Sophie, as the latter two were subjected to a mysterious murder incident while they were in the seventies, and press accounts attributed it to attempts by thieves to steal the palace, or to conduct excavations under it.
wide opposition
The idea of demolishing the palace faced widespread opposition, and the stories of retracting the demolition continued until yesterday morning.
The Dean of the Faculty of Archeology at the Arab Academy of Sciences, Monica Hanna, told CNN that "the demolition of the palace is a historical loss of heritage, and some do not know its historical value." Antiquities and the National Center for Civilization Coordination.
And the former head of the National Organization for Urban Coordination, Samir Gharib, published on his Facebook page, the day before yesterday, two documents documenting the Ministry of Culture’s refusal in 2009 to demolish the palace. That they demolished the first palace in 2009 (they are twins), I publish here two documents from the book “Al-Omran” (Dar Vision), the last page of the committee formed by the Minister of Culture at the time to discuss the demolition of the palace, which unanimously rejected the demolition, and in it were representatives of civilization coordination and antiquities, headed by Professor Contemporary history and the head of the House of Books and Documents at the time, Prof. Saber Arab, and the last page of Dr. Saber Arab’s memo, signed by his handwriting, rejecting demolition.”
Archaeological historian and tour guide, Bassam Al-Shamma, said: “What is the reason behind the demolition?
And what is the benefit behind it?
How is the demolition in the interest of the antiquities around the palace?
And any studies that led to this conclusion?
We are living today in a sad day, a day in which we lose a new trace that will no longer exist, and with it an important part of the tangible history of Luxor will disappear.”
A previous campaign, led by the Italian honorary consul in Egypt and the historian and Egyptologist, Francis Amin, had launched an initiative to save the palace, but its efforts were unsuccessful.
Francis Amin said in a previous statement to "Emirates Today", at the beginning of the development of the crisis, that "the initiative included a number of those interested in the name of Andrew's Palace, to establish an entity called (Andraus Bishara Foundation), in which the heritage of Luxor city in the 19th and 20th centuries is collected, and presented in the The palace, which will serve as a museum, is important for completing the Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic history of Luxor, but the executive authorities, including the governorate and the Ministry of Culture, did not move under the pretext of the lack of a budget to finance this project, and the global financial crisis prevented progress in the issue of European support for it, after To become a topic on the Egyptian-Italian cooperation agenda.”
legal demolition
On the other hand, Luxor City President Tariq Lotfy said, in media statements, that the decision to remove Andrew’s Palace is “100% sound and legal,” and it was approved by all governorate agencies. And the Dilapidated Buildings Committee, to implement the removal decision issued by the Dilapidated Buildings Committee in Luxor, and to inventory the contents of the palace and its possessions, and Lotfy continued: “The demolition work came in implementation of the removal decision issued by the Dilapidated Facilities Committee, after the inspection it carried out for the building on the ground. And it was proven that the building was unsound, in danger of collapse, and in a great danger.”
Tawfiq Andrew’s Palace was associated in the Egyptian conscience with his owner’s challenge to the British occupation authorities in 1921, through his quest to host Saad Zaghloul, who was on a Nile tour passing through the cities of the Egyptian country on board the steamer “Nubia”, as the British sought to prevent his disembarkation from these cities, so Andrew, by extending a crossing A wooden man from the palace to the ship, to get Zaghloul down in Luxor, after he failed to get off Gerga and Assiut.
• Dean of the Faculty of Archeology at the Arab Academy of Sciences, Monica Hanna: “The demolition of the palace is a historical loss of heritage, and some do not know its historical value.”
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