She is 140 years old and was frequented by Adel Imam, Souad Hosni, Ahmed Fouad Negm and Sheikh Imam Issa
Egypt .. «Ashour» coffee of culture and history is afraid of «removals and the future»
Ashour the grandson inside the coffee.
From the source
The position of “Ashour Coffee” in the historic Ghouriya district of Cairo is enhanced every day, as it is the oldest in the cultural and artistic tales cafes in Egypt. Coffee day after day, in the context of providing more important roles in cultural life, such as hosting the events of artistic groups in its courtyard, the fears of those who adhere to it are increasing in parallel that the ongoing removal plans that are being implemented in the Darb al-Ahmar area, in light of the current modernization and restoration projects.
Nabil Ashour, the grandson of the owner of the cafe, Hussein Ashour, said, "The age of the cafe dates back to a long time in the Al-Ghouriya and Al-Darb Al-Ahmar area, which also dates back to 700 years, but their grandfather's relationship with coffee began 140 years ago, as he was selling tea and drinks as a street vendor in the area. Al-Hussein, then settled in it, and the coffee later went to his father, who took care of it and refused to transform its activity, despite the changes and circumstances, so that it and (Fishawy coffee), which dates back to approximately the same date, remain part of the cultural scene of historic Cairo in the last 150 years. .
Beginning fame
And Ashour continued, "Coffee gained a special fame since its inception, because their father had historical relations since the beginning of its inception with important symbols, many of whom used to frequent it, and among these are the famous reciter Sheikh Muhammad Refaat, the reader Sheikh Muhammad Siddiq Al-Minshawi, and the great religious scholar Sheikh Muhammad Metwally Al-Shaarawi. And the first accredited worshiper on the Egyptian radio was Sheikh Abdel-Sami’ Bayoumi, and his father met the late leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, during his visit to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and invited him to honor him at the coffee.
Ashour said that "the relationship of coffee with cultural symbols developed after that to take a new direction, as it hosted (the leader) the artist Adel Imam and Saeed Saleh, and the most important shift in its history was its association with the poet Ahmed Fouad Najm (Al-Fagoumi) and the singer Sheikh Imam Issa, who were living in front of it. In the neighborhood of Hosh Qadam, and increased its fame, the association of this duo in the beginning with political events, then the openness of the official, Arab and international media to them after that in the nineties, and their residence after that turned into a kiss for visitors from cultural and artistic symbols, some of them were from Egypt, and others were from countries Arab countries, such as Tunisia and Morocco, and also from European countries, such as France.”
Ashour said that since the nineties, the coffee witnessed the influx of dozens of names, some of whom remember and forget others, including the late writer Jamal Al-Ghitani, the artist Mohamed Mounir (Al-King), the artist Suad Hosni (Cinderella), the artist Nadia Al-Jundi, and the artist Fayza Kamal, and she also witnessed the birth of Famous songs, such as “Guevara Matt” and “Valerie Giscard d’Estaing”, by the star-imam duo, and artworks such as “The Queen’s Witness” by Nadia Al-Jundi, and “The Seven Colors of the Sky” by Farouk El-Fishawy, and we and the coffee workers appeared in clips from these works. .
Memories and fingerprints
Ashour narrated that coffee has memories and imprints on the major historical events that Egypt witnessed, and it is not a coincidence that the image of Gamal Abdel Nasser is still in its place with coffee, because of the intense love that Hussein Ashour had for the late leader, and his pride in meeting him in front of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and the coffee turned into a refuge For families from the neighborhood during the 1967 war, including the memories that were passed down through the generations.
Ashour noted that “his father, and after him his 10 sons, the owners of the coffee, preserved the shape and heritage of the coffee, making it in harmony with the architectural character of the region and its historical spirit, since the coffee is meters from the Metwally Gate and the Qansuh al-Ghouri Mosque, and also meters from the house of Jamal al-Din al-Dhahabi, the son of Shahbandar merchants in the Ottoman era, whose house is 372 years old, and the Haret Hosh Qadam, which literally means (the foot of goodness), and its name goes back to Sultan Saif al-Din Khosh Qadam, who died in 1467 AD, is a history in itself. ».
enlightening role
Coffee also plays an enlightening role at the present time, by hosting “Sheikh Imam Lovers” events on a monthly basis, hosting media professionals, and conducting dialogues about the café, the region and its history for those who visit it. Now in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar, which reached behind them to the Al-Roum neighborhood in Ghouria, and it is reported that it is on the way to them, especially since the coffee, although not an antiquity according to the legal definition, is actually a historical place, and part of the Egyptian national and cultural memory, no less important than other important evidence. ».
• Ashour and his 10 sons, the owners of the coffee, preserved the shape and heritage of the coffee, making it in harmony with the architectural character of the region and its historical spirit, since the coffee is meters from the Metwally Gate and Qansuh Al-Ghouri Mosque, and also meters from the house of Jamal Al-Din Al-Dhahabi, Ibn Shahbandar Merchants in the Ottoman era The house, which is 372 years old.
• Coffee plays an enlightening role at the present time by hosting "Sheikh Imam Lovers" events on a monthly basis, hosting media professionals, and conducting dialogues about the café, the region and its history for those who visit it.
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