''Al Nahla'' (Arabic: ''The Bee'') was a weekly political magazine which existed between 1870 and 1880 with one-year interruption. It was first published in Beirut and then in London. The magazine was one of the early examples of private journalism in Lebanon. It was also one of the earliest Arabic publications in London.

History and profile

''Al Nahla'' was launched by

Louis Sabunji Louis Sabunji (1838–1931) was a Catholic priest and political figure who founded and edited various publications, including '' Al Nahla'' (Arabic: The Bee). He was also one of the earliest photographers in Beirut. Early life and education Sabu ...

as a weekly publication in Beirut in 1870 when he was working as a Catholic priest in the city. The first issue appeared on 11 May 1870. The cover page declared that the magazine contained articles about science, industry, history, language, local affairs, foreign affairs, humour and narrations. Of them the scientific, historical and humour sections were edited by Sabunji. ''Al Nahla'' employed illustrations, including those drawn by its editor Louis Sabunji. The magazine enjoyed the financial support of various sponsors, including

Khedive Ismail Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt and conqueror of Sudan (region), Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when Tewfik Pasha, he was removed at the behest of Great Bri ...

and

Sultan of Zanzibar The sultans of Zanzibar ( ar, سلاطين زنجبار) were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan, who had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the sultan of Oman since 1804. The ...

. ''Al Nahla'' had clashes with another Beirut magazine '' Al Jinan'' and its editor Butrus Al Bustani in early 1871 when Sabunji attacked Al Bustani. Due to these conflicts and its anti- Hamidian content, ''Al Nahla'' was subject to bans by the Ottoman governor of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. In fact, these bans were the first censorship by the Ottoman authorities in the region. From August 1871 the magazine was published by Sabunji's business partner Joseph Shalfun. In 1876 Sabunji had to leave Beirut as a result of his increased anti-Ottoman views published in ''Al Nahla'' and settled in London. Next year he began to publish ''Al Nahla'' in London as a bilingual publication covering Arabic and English content.

George Percy Badger George Percy Badger (April 6 1815–February 21 1888) was an English Anglican missionary, and a scholar of oriental studies. He is mainly known for his doctrinal and historical studies about the Church of the East. Life ''George Percy Bad ...

was instrumental in the restart of the magazine. It continued its attacks over the Ottoman Sultan in London denouncing him as "an usurper of the title of ...

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

." However, in London ''Al Nahla'' had another goal: to support those who were planning to open the East Africa markets for European trade. The magazine was published regularly in London until 1 May 1880. However, Sabunji revived it in 1883 and 1884 without any regular scheme. A complete collection of ''Al Nahlas issues is archived by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahla 1870 establishments in Ottoman Syria 1880 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Arabic-language magazines Catholic magazines Defunct magazines published in Lebanon Defunct political magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1870 Magazines established in 1877 Magazines disestablished in 1880 Magazines published in Beirut Magazines published in London Weekly magazines published in Lebanon Bilingual magazines