''Al Fatat'' ( ar, الفتاة /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''al Fatāt'', "the young girl") was a

women's magazine This is a list of women's magazines from around the world. These are magazines that have been published primarily for a readership of women. Currently published *'' 10 Magazine'' (UK - distributed worldwide) *'' Al Jamila'' (Saudi Arabia) *''All ...

published in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Egypt. The magazine was the first Arab women's magazine and was one of the earliest publications in the country. It was published from 1892 to 1894. ''Al Fatat'' is the forerunner of the women's magazines in the Arab countries.

History and profile

''Al Fatat'' was launched by

Hind Nawfal Hind Nawfal ( ar, هند نوفل, 1860–1920) was a Lebanese Antiochian Greek Orthodox journalist and feminist writer. She was the first woman in the Arab world and the broader MENA area to publish a women's magazine and an early promoter ...

, a Lebanese

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

woman, in Alexandria in 1892. Nawfal's father and sister also contributed to the establishment of the magazine of which the first issue appeared on 30 November 1892.

Elisabeth Kendall Elisabeth Kendall is a British Arabist, academic and commentator whose scholarship has ranged from Middle Eastern literatures to militant jihad. She is best known for her work on how Islamist extremists exploit Arabic cultures and traditions. Bi ...

stated that Nawfal's magazine had achieved a "fiery fusion of the political and literary". ''Al Fatat'' was published by Nawfal for two years. She also wrote editorials for the magazine, which was published monthly in its initial stage. Later ''Al Fatat'' began to be published twice a month due to its growing popularity. Being the first women's magazine in the country as well as in the other

Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

''Al Fatat'' initiated the tradition of the women's press in Egypt. One of the major contributors was

Esther Moyal Esther Moyal (née Lazari or al-Azharī; 1874, Beirut – 1948, Jaffa) was a Lebanese Jewish journalist, writer and women's rights activist. She has been described as a key intellectual in the 20th century Nahda, or Arabic Renaissance. Biography ...

, a Beirut-born Jewish journalist. The magazine covered biographies of notable figures in addition to news concerning women. It also included book reviews, poems and fashion articles. ''Al Fatat'' encouraged the participation of women in public life and debates and advocated modern ideals for women. Therefore, it provided

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

content and was a truly

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

magazine. On the other hand, politics and religion were not the focus of the magazine. ''Al Fatat'' ceased publication in 1894 when the founder and publisher Nawfal married and stopped dealing with the magazine. The complete archive of the magazine was republished by the Women and Memory Forum in Egypt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatat 1892 establishments in Egypt 1894 disestablishments in Egypt Arabic-language magazines Defunct magazines published in Egypt Feminism in Egypt Feminist magazines Magazines established in 1892 Magazines disestablished in 1894 Mass media in Alexandria Monthly magazines published in Egypt Women's magazines published in Egypt

History and profile

See also

References