I get off the bus near Al-Ahram Newspaper’s offices in the Ramses neighbourhood at around noon and make my way across the street and underneath Al-Galaa Bridge where street vendors sell anything from clothing to food items. As I navigate through the busy streets around people and cars, I think about the COVID-19 pandemic and I wonder at the countless Egyptians who need to pass through these crowds to make a living every day.
As I approach Cinema Radio, there’s a room to my left where I find a collection of furniture. I see a set of round double reflection mirrors, each divided down the middle –either horizontally or vertically– into two sections, each offering a different reflection. Below them is a cabinet set named Isfet, which, in ancient Egyptian culture, represents “chaos and darkness,” the opposite of another piece of hanging furniture named Maat, which represents “order and light.”
In light of recent events in Lebanon, we want to encourage you to donate to support domestic workersvia Egna Legna, an Ethiopian domestic worker-run organization based in Beirut Lebanon, which has over the past three years assisted domestic workers including victims of horrible abuses to the best of its ability.We also recommend donating to Beit el Baraka.Use this tool to find more places that need donations.
If you’re an Arabist, think about the digital library or archive catalogues you use and then try to count the number that have interfaces and data available in Arabic. There are few in Arabic, although there are more catalogues and tools that are in Turkish. In addition, the design of these resources often is adapted without much alteration from tools produced for European-language materials for European-language audiences. It dismisses even the possibility that other intellectual histories rooted in different contexts function differently and require different things from their organizational standards; it also dismisses the notion that technologies are neutral and that they are inclusive.
A doorway in the IDEO featuring mashrabiyya (Photo Credit: N.A. Mansour)
The Arabic intellectual tradition is built around commentaries all expressing different and often diverging opinions, although they are often tied to the same text. So in order to study, for example كتاب سيبويه Kitāb Sībawayh, you need to be familiar with existing critical editions of the text. You might also want the commentaries written on it. You also naturally want the secondary sources on it as well: Arabic journal articles and monographs, as well as those written in other languages. Your institution’s standard catalogue might not be as much help here. You need a catalogue built to these bibliographic purposes. The AlKindi catalogue, developed by the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) is the best solution to this problem of needing research tools in Arabic, built for Arabophone audiences with the Arabic intellectual tradition in mind. It’s also the solution to our bibliographical problems, essentially letting you browse online more effectively. It’s not perfect yet, namely in that it does not include every Arabic book ever written but each day, the catalogue becomes a stronger engine, as more data is added to it and as more people use it; it is often the first result you find when using a standard internet search engine to look for a text, like, say كتاب سيبويه, Kitāb Sībawayh. The cataloguing team has needed to expand multiple times to accommodate the work-load and under the direction of Mohamad Malchouch, it is full-steam ahead for the project. Here, we’ll be giving you an introduction to using the system, as well as a crash-course in cataloguing standards.
By Natalya Stanke, Tessa Litecky, and Elisabeth Koch
Hazine recognizes that most archives and libraries are closed right now and emphasize prioritizing during these times the health and safety of all those who work at archives and libraries as well as the health and safety of those who use archives and libraries. We are publishing archive reviews in the hopes that eventually these repositories will be accessible again.
The ARCE Grand Salon, Photo Credit: ARCE 3D Model
Just a block south of Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo lies the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE). Since 1948, ARCE has served as a powerful force for conservation, education, and historical research within Egypt. The archive and library collections cover 7,000 years of Egyptian history, including prehistoric Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic, and more contemporary materials. ARCE’s conservation efforts are housed within the ARCE Conservation Archive, which serves as a resource for researchers interested in the dynamics of preserving Egyptian cultural heritage.
Maktabat al-Azhar (al-Azhar Library) in Cairo is reportedly about to move to a new location not far from the original location on Salah Salem Street, around the corner from al-Azhar mosque and al-Azhar Garden. Thus, it does not merit a full archive review. HOWEVER, one of our editors, N.A. Mansour, has been using it and she put together a Twitter thread with all the relevant information. Click through to read the thread in its entirety (you DO NOT need a Twitter account to read it) and we look forward to featuring an entire archive review when the library moves.
Dar al-Mahfuzat al-ʿUmumiyya is an important Egyptian government archive, despite the fact that few people know of its existence. Today, the institution is officially known as the Registry and Property Records Archive of the Egyptian Finance Ministry. It is located beside the Citadel in Cairo, near the al-Rifaʿi and Sultan Hasan mosques. Its documents, containing much more than property-related information, are significant for the administrative and urban history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Egypt.
History
An interior view of the old defterhane building from the second quarter of the nineteenth century
The origins of Dar al-Mahfuzat can be traced back to the defterhane, which was a main depository of government documents. It burned down and was re-established by Mehmet Ali Pasha in 1828. In the nineteenth century, it was variously under the responsibility of the Accountant Office in the Diwan-i Khidiwi, the Finance Ministry (Diwan/Wizarat al-Maliyya), the Cairo Governorate (Muhafazat Misr), or the Ministry of Interior (Wizarat al-Dakhiliyya). In 1905, the institution became a part of the Finance Ministry. In 1929, its name was changed to Dar al-Mahfuzat al-ʿUmumiyya (and some of its documents were transferred to the ‘Abdin Palace as part of an effort to establish a separate royal archive). The post-1952 regime established the National Archive of Historical Records (Dar li-l-Watha’iq al-Tarikhiyya al-Qawmiyya, hereafter DWQ) and ordered the transfer of documents located in the ʿAbdin collection, Dar al-Mahfuzat, and other governmental agencies to this central organization under the Ministry of National Guidance (Wizarat al-Irshad al-Qawmi). However, until a proper building was found, it exercised central control over state historical records only in theory. In the 1960s, DWQ and Dar al-Kutub (the National Library) were united. In 1977, Dar al-Mahfuzat was ordered to join this central organization under the Ministry of Culture (formerly National Guidance), but in 1979 it was re-established as part of the Ministry of Finance. It remained until now as part of the Property Tax Office (Maslahat al-Daraʾib al-ʿAqariyya).
Collection
The exact holdings of Dar al-Mahfuzat are not known officially. There is no public catalog. The best available description is in Insaf ʿUmar’s thesis, especially its appendices (see bibliography below). It is possible that some parts of the collection were already transferred to other governmental offices or to DWQ.
The documents preserved in Dar al-Mahfuzat today certainly include three important collections. 1) The pension dossiers of state employees (Milaffat Khidmat al-Muwazzafin) between the 1830s and 1959 (including non-Egyptian subjects who received pension from the Egyptian state). In these dossiers one can trace the entire careers of state employees and obtain some information on their heirs. These files provide also an insight into the administrative work and cooperation between different branches of the state. 2) The tax-registers of buildings in Cairo (Jaraʾid ʿAwaʾid al-Amlak al-Mabniyya, which once belonged to the Cairo Governorate [Muhafazat Misr]), and possibly of other cities as well. This collection mostly contains documents from the turn of the century to the early 1950s. 3) Tax registers of agricultural lands (Mukallafat al-Atyan al-Ziraʿiyya).
There might be other collections. For instance, registers of births and deaths were stored in Dar al-Mahfuzat at one time but may have been transferred to another office. The sijills of the provincial shariʿa courts, which were present in the 1980s, are now in DWQ. Some dossiers of Dar al-Mahfuzat are presently empty.
The number of documents/dossiers/registers is not known officially. Insaf ʿUmar gives various numbers. Judged by my own experience, there must be tens of thousands of registers concerning taxation and thousands of dossiers concerning state pensioners. Insaf ‘Umar estimates 88,794 dossiers of state pensioners.
Library
There is also a library in Dar al-Mahfuzat. Its collection is significant for the legal history of Egypt: it holds printed books between the 1830s and 1870s, mostly in Ottoman Turkish, which contain the official orders from the governors and various state regulations. There is also a collection of the journal al-Waqaʾiʿ al-Misriyya (seemingly, the full series), and some books in French or Italian about Egyptian law. There are other nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Arabic printed materials concerning taxation or administrative laws. The Arabic material is cataloged in Insaf ʿUmar’s thesis but he does not include the Ottoman Turkish books. As of December 2013, the library was being re-organized.
The facade of the current Dar al-Mahfuzat building, seemingly interpreted by an Instragram filter
Research Experience
Dar al-Mahfuzat retains archival functions but it is not an archive per se. It is a functioning governmental office with the responsibility of safeguarding highly sensitive information related to state and private income. Not surprisingly, security is tight. It seems that in the 1980s access was easier. It is also possible that the revolutionary atmosphere in 2011 made state institutions more defensive. Until the autumn of 2013, there was a research (viewing) room (qaʿat al-bahth) with a small staff of four ladies. In the beginning, one employee had to escort me in the building, later I was allowed to move more freely. They were very helpful but not entirely knowledgeable about the holdings.
Researchers can only work three hours per day, from 10:00 to 13:00. This three-hour research period is an official decision and it is printed on every research permission. Therefore, complaints to employees are futile and may be interpreted as disrespectful. It often happens that the requested material arrives late or the researcher is asked to come back the day after. However, almost everything I wanted to look at arrived sooner or later.
There is no digital or printed catalog. In the case of pension files, one has to know the date of the retirement or read all the handwritten registers until you find the name or the profession you are looking for, and then ask for the indicated dossier. Given the limited number of working hours, consulting these pension-registers can take up significant research time. In the case of property taxation, one has to consult a separate office in the Garage Building in Opera Square first, in order to gain information about the pre-1952 administrative arrangements and names of the streets, etc. The staff is very helpful there. Once this information is obtained, one can request the given codes of the registers at Dar al-Mahfuzat.
When a register or a dossier arrives, a security guard also enters the room, and sits next to the researcher (sometimes so close that you may feel restricted in free movement). However, after a time, security is frequently relaxed; I was often left without a “guard” (of course, the ordinary research staff remained in the room).
At my last visit in December 2013, I found the research room closed and some of the employees dismissed. There was a new director and the remaining research employees were transferred to the library which became the new “viewing room.” Still, during this research visit, I could only view the requested material in one of the working offices, among the administrators under the supervision of a security guard. Do not be surprised if you see that an employee eats a sandwich above a one-hundred-year old document. However, the atmosphere, after the first wave of surprise about my presence, was rather kind and welcoming. I could even work more than three hours. Despite the initial efforts of the security personnel to restrict my viewing, ultimately I was permitted to read whatever page of the registers I wanted.
Storage conditions of the defters in Dar al-Mahfuzat, picture taken for Insaf ‘Umar dissertation
My advice is to be kind, humble, and persistent. Of course, you can only chat in Egyptian Arabic. Depending on the scope of your research, you must organize your time wisely – it is possible that you have to return time and time again. Be always aware that this is a living part of the Ministry of Finance. In any country in the world this would cause difficulties, especially if you are a foreigner.
Access
Dar al-Mahfuzat is usually open from morning around nine to the mid-afternoon and is located on 2 Shari’a al-Mahjar. However, research is restricted to 10:00 – 13:00, and sometimes four days a week. It is open during the summer.
Permission needs to be requested from the Security Bureau (Maktab al-Amn) of the Property Tax Office of the Finance Ministry, at the left side of the Saʿd Zaghlul Mausoleum. Since there were rumors that foreigners cannot do research, I submitted 1) photocopies of my passport, 2) a letter of recommendation from my university in Arabic (and English) 3) a letter, signed by my Ambassador that I am a scientific researcher, in Arabic (and English) 4) a research plan in Arabic 5) a form to be filled in (you will be given) 6) Two colored passport-sized photographs.
It is crucial that on the form you define the time period of your research as broadly as possible because you will be given only those files which fall within the specified period. For instance, if you focus on the 1880s, you should provide dates between 1850 and 1920 or more, since perhaps the person you are looking for retired much later and you will not even receive the name-registers after the stated end of your period.
The permission process can take months, often half a year. For me it took longer, perhaps because I submitted my request in 2011. After receiving permission, I went to Dar al-Mahfuzat and, despite the permission from the Ministry, was immediately taken by the security personnel to the director, who, after a little chat, gave her permission too. As the office is now under new management, circumstances may be different.
The permission is valid for one year (365 days) with the possibility of renewal.
Dar al-Mahfuzat is not wheelchair accessible.
Reproductions
Dar al-Mahfuzat does not permit the use of cameras or laptops while working with documents. Moreover, the archive provides no photocopying services. Researchers are permitted only to hand copy the documents they consult. You cannot bring a laptop into the viewing room.
Transportation and Food:
The easiest way to access the archive is by taxi or bus to Sayyida ʿAʾisha or the al-Rifaʿi and Sultan Hasan Mosques.
There are plenty of small kusheri and ful shops nearby.
Future Plans and Rumors
Egypt is in the midst of immense political changes which affect all levels of government bureaucracy including Dar al-Mahfuzat. Researchers should be prepared to navigate a quickly evolving bureaucratic environment while undertaking their research.
There will be possible changes. Look for updates.
Contact information
Though Dar al-Mahfuzat can be reached by phone, I do not recommend calling it directly. First go to the Security Office and request permission in person. There is no website.
Resources and Links:
The most important resources are:
J. Deny, Sommaire des Archives Turques du Caire (Cairo: IFAO, 1930)
Insaf ʿUmar, “Min Kunuz Dar al-Mahfuzat al-ʿUmumiyya – Milaffat al-Muwazzafin bi-l-Hukuma al-Misriyya,” in: Khamsun ʿAmman ʿala Inshaʾ Dar al-Wathaʾiq, ed. Muhammad Sabir ʿArab et al (Cairo: Dar al-Kutub, 2009), 160-194.
Some material is in:
Al-Wathaʾiq al-ʿArabiyya fi Dar al-Mahfuzat (Cairo: al-Majlis al-ʿAli li-l-Thaqafa, 2007)
Al-Daftarkhana: Dar al-Mahfuzat al-ʿUmumiyya (Alexandria: Maktabat al-Iskandariyya, 2010)
Works of Ibrahim ʿAbduh, ʿAli Barakat, Crabbs, Gran, Hunter, Peters.
Though Dar al-Mahfuzat almost totally missing from these two important studies in English, they provide good context:
Helen Rivlin, The Dar al-Watha’iq in ‘Abdin Palace at Cairo as a Source for the Study of Modernization of Egypt in the Nineteenth Century (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1970).
Yoav di Capua, Gatekeepers of the Arab Past: Historians and History Writing in Twentieth-Century Egypt (Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2009).
Adam Mestyan is a Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows, Harvard University and currently writing his first book on the relationship between political power and theater in nineteenth-century Egypt.
Cite this: Adam Mestyan, “Dar al-Mahfuzat al-‘Umumiyya (Cairo),” HAZINE, 3 Mar 2014, https://hazine.info/2014/03/03/daralmahfuzat/
Tahrir Documents is a collection of pamphlets, newsletters, signs, poems, and other texts gathered in and around Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, between March 2011 and May 2012. The physical documents are housed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Department of Special Collections at the Charles E. Young Research Library. However, all documents are available online at www.TahrirDocuments.org as scanned PDF files with accompanying English translations. The archive seeks to create a record of the print culture of the Egyptian uprising against Hosni Mubarak and its aftermath.
Tahrir Square, January 25, 2012: an archive in the making
History
Tahrir Documents was founded in 2011 through the efforts of a group of American graduate students in Cairo and explicitly states its lack of affiliation “with any political organization, Egyptian or otherwise.” Generally speaking, documents were gathered once a week on Fridays, when they were distributed to crowds in Tahrir Square. They were then scanned and translated by volunteers, primarily Egyptians and Americans, a number of whom were students of the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA). The founders of Tahrir Documents intended the archive to illustrate the richness and diversity of print culture in Tahrir Square at a time when media discourse on the “Egyptian Revolution” gave primacy to the impact of online social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Further, translating these documents into English represented an attempt to give the diverse and polyvalent texts available in Tahrir Square a wider English-speaking readership. Efforts to collect and translate documents continued through May 2012, at which point no further documents were added to the collection.
Collection
The collection includes a wide range of documents collected in and around Tahrir Square from spring 2011 to spring 2012, including newsletters and broadsheets, pamphlets, announcements, advertisements, and poetry. The archive also includes a small number of largely text-based signs held by protestors at Tahrir Square. Though most of the documents are stand-alone pieces, there are several newsletters of which multiple issues were collected and translated. Each document exists in the original along with a full English language translation. The date of collection and of translation are included on the Tahrir Documents website.
The Tahrir Documents website includes 567 documents. In this respect it differs from other efforts to document and archive the Egyptian uprising of 2011 and the events that followed, such as University on the Square, R-Shief, or the Committee to Document the 25th January Revolution, which include a much wider range of material (electronic media, photographs, oral histories, music, and so on). The archive’s self-imposed limits are generally speaking a boon for researchers in that they result in a relatively coherent collection—one knows, for example, that all of these documents were produced in Egypt and were physically present in the space of Tahrir Square on the date collected—but the archive’s discontinuation in May 2012 can be frustrating in light of subsequent events in Egypt.
The Research Experience
All documents in the collection are digitized and available online, making them easily available to researchers throughout the world. Scans or photographs of the original documents are posted with translations on the Tahrir Documents website and can be downloaded by users. Documents are posted in chronological order according to translation date and are also divided into seven main categories according to subject: Revolution, Politics, Solidarity, Culture, Constitution, Regime, and Religion. Each category includes a number of sub-categories, and documents are frequently listed under multiple categories or sub-categories. Most useful, perhaps, is the ability to search the full texts of translations for the entire collection. Unfortunately, it is not possible to conduct searches in Arabic. As the documents were translated by a large group of volunteers, some inconsistencies in translation or transliteration do at times crop up; for the most part, however, this is not a huge hurdle (most names and places are transliterated in modified International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies style, for example). In general, the interface is easy to use and accessing the documents poses no difficulties.
Broadly speaking, these documents would be of interest to researchers of post–January 2011 Egypt, especially the political culture of Tahrir Square. Those whose focus extends to Arab political culture more generally will also find rich primary material, as the documents include political tracts, manifestos, and explanatory notes from political currents ranging from salafi to revolutionary socialist. Indeed, given the location where these documents were collected, it is not surprising that the vast majority are explicitly political in content; however, the location-specific—rather than subject-specific—method of collection has resulted in the inclusion of some surprising and unusual pieces. Those more interested in Egyptian popular culture, for example, will also find poems, fiction, and advertisements collected here.
Sample document on TahrirDocuments.org
Access
The Tahrir Documents web site is easily accessible. Those who want to access the original documents must go to the Department of Special Collections at the Charles E. Young Research Library at UCLA. Visitors have to register and documents are delivered in one to two days. The Department of Special Collections is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except during holidays; non-UCLA visitors must be over eighteen years old and present a government-issued photo identification to obtain an access-only card from the circulation desk at the Young Research Library.
Upcoming News and Rumors
The online component of Tahrir Documents will officially migrate to a UCLA library website in the coming months. This transition will bring with it a new interface and metadata, which should allow for new ways of searching and filtering results.
