ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, through the eyes of an Egyptian Armenian, Part 1

Kid from Alex felt so sorry that Marash Girl had missed the 'Armenian Experience' while in Egypt in 1964,  (click this link to read the posts from Marash Girl's journey to Egypt) that he has made an effort herewith to share some of his memories of the buildings and places that were a part of his Armenian childhood growing up in Alexandria.

 

 

                      Armenian Evangelical Church (above), Alexandria Egypt  

Above, the Armenian Apostolic Church (Sourp Boghos - Sourp Bedros) that has Marash Girl's uncle's and father's name St. Paul and St. Peter,  located within the Armenian quarters, on a private road, no public traffic going through.

                           

                             Inside the Sourp Boghos - Sourp Bedros Armenian Apostolic Church

At the time when Marash Girl was in Alexandria, (1964), within the Armenian quarters there were the Boghosian Armenian school, sports stadium "Gamk",  two small parks, with fruit trees and rose bushes, and the Armenian Patriarchate offices (pictured below).

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A burial memorial (right) of Nubar Pasha Nubarian, (1825 – 1899),

the first Prime Minister of Egypt, in one of the parks in the Armenian quarter.  A uniquely gifted statesman, Nubar Pasha Nubarian held the highest administrative posts for five decades, achieved international stature, and left his decisive imprint on Egypt’s modernization, especially in the sphere of social justice. Nubar initially served as his uncle's, Boghos Yusufian’s secretary, then after his death he became dragoman to the Wali and second secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs. In addition to translating, his work entailed acting as a diplomat and counselor. Later during the reign of Abbas I, Nubar Nubarian was appointed counselor and delegate for special missions. Among his other achievements were also organizing Cairo’s Water Company, which introduced piped water, and led to the creation of the city of Heliopolis in mid desert. During Sa’id, Abbas I’s successor, Nubar Nubarian was appointed the director of health services, then Attorney General, policy coordinator between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassies as well as the viceroy, and finally, trade representative in Paris. Afterwards, during Ismail’s rule, Nubar became stationed in Paris handling financial and legal matters concerning the Suez Canal, and then in 1865 he was appointed Minister of Public Works, where he prepared a well-studied irrigation plan. The results of his plan were so excellent that Ismail honored him a new canal in the province of Beheira, named after him Nubariyya. Also, as a reward for his encouragement in improving the various types of cotton, Egypt's single most profitable and prized product at the time, a type of long-staple cotton was named Nubari after him. Moreover, according to some well respected Egyptian political figures, Nubar was the first Egyptian statesman to raise humanitarian issues and the principle of social justice in the 19th century. Nubar's greatest achievements in Egypt were legal reforms and the establishment of Mixed Courts. Nubar Nubarian was the first Christian to be granted the title of Pasha and the gift of a large plot of fertile land. He also was appointed the first Prime Minister of Egypt in 1878 and reserved the right to head the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice. In 1895 Nubar Pasha received Egypt’s highest award, the Nile Medal of Honor, and retired from political work, after having served six viceroys and Khedives (hereditary rulers).

http://www.armembegypt.com/main.php?page=comhistamppath=ARM_EG:ARM_EGYPT:COM_HISTORY

ADDENDUM:  In response to Ali's comment (see below), I have added two more pictures of the statue of Nubar Pasha.

Old picture of Nubar Pasha statue in Shaalalat Park

Picture  of the statue of Nubar Pasha in the new location at the Opera House, Alexandria, Egypt

Above post & photos contributed by guest blogger, KID FROM ALEX.