Shoubra ( ar, شبرا, ;

Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...

: '; also written Shubra or Shobra) is one of the largest districts of Cairo, Egypt and it is administratively divided into three areas: Shubra,

Road El Farag Rod El Farag ( ar, روض الفرج, ; also spelled Road El Farag, Road Elfarag or Road Alfarag) is an administrative region forming about one third of Shobra in Cairo, Egypt. Rod El Farag neighbours the River Nile to the west, Boulaq to the south ...

, and

Elsahel El Sahel ( ar, الساحل ) is an administrative region forming more than half of Shubra in Cairo, Egypt. El Sahel neighbours the River Nile to the west, Rod El Farag and Shubra (administrative region) to the south, El Sharabeya to the eas ...

Etymology

Although Shoubra has been immensely large for the last few decades, the name originally derives from the

word ', which means a small village or field, as the area is well known for its rich fields that neighbour the

Nile River The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

. In Egypt, there are many neighborhoods, towns and villages that bear the name of Shubra, for example, the administrative region of Shoubra that is within the large district of Shubra, both of which are not to be confused with one of Qalyubia's industrial suburbs,

Shubra El-Kheima Shubra El Kheima, ( ar, شبرا الخيمة, lit=hamlet of the tent, , from ) is the fourth-largest city in Egypt after Cairo, Giza and Alexandria. It is located in the Qalyubia Governorate along the northern edge of the Cairo Governorate. It ...

. Of the less well-known areas — villages specifically — there are also several places that bear the name of Shoubra, such as the Shoubra Bekhoum village that is about 75 minutes away from Cairo. However, these areas are quite distinguishable as the word "Shoubra" has come to include only a general meaning and does not fully describe all of these regions in a literal sense.

Early history

During the rule of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Shubra was developed into a residential area after he built himself a palace in the area and extended Shubra street in 1808.

Modern Shubra

The present-day area is now heavily populated, with an estimated three million residents. Shubra has the highest concentration of Coptic Christians in Cairo. There are several churches throughout the district's neighborhoods, such as the decades-old Church of St. Mary in Massarra and St. George, El-Geushi. Shubra is served by the

Cairo Metro The Cairo Metro ( ar, مترو أنفاق القاهرة, Metro Anfāq al-Qāhirah, lit. "Cairo Tunnel Metro" or ) is the rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It was the first of the three full-fledged metro systems in Africa a ...

. There are a large number of mosques in Shubra. One of the most renowned mosques in Shubra is ''el Khazen Dar'' mosque, which is named after an occupation at the time of the Ottoman Empire. The palace of Muhammad Ali is the most renowned tourist attraction in Shubra, and cost more than 50 million Egyptian pounds to be restored.

Administrative regions

Due to the large population of the area of Shubra, it is divided into three administrative regions: #

Shubra (administrative region) Shubra (or Shobra, Shoubra) is an administrative region and forms a relatively small area that represents about one quarter of the district with the same name in Cairo, Egypt. It neighbours the areas of Elsahel to the north, Sharabeya to the eas ...

or Rhodhe روض : literally means garden which is in the Arabic translation of Rhodhe el farag

Notable residents

*In the 1940s and 1950s, Nazir Gayyed (before becoming Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria in 1971) was notable in serving the Coptic Orthodox communities in the district of Shubra, particularly Saint Antonious Church in Shubra. *Bishop Moussa, Bishop of Youth, attended and served the churches in Shubra before being a monk. *Bishop Raphael, General Bishop of down town Cairo, attended and served the churches in Shubra before being a monk. *Bishop Youssef, http://suscopts.org/diocese/bishop/, was also attending and serving Saint Antonious Church in Shubra, before joining St. Mary Monastery (EL-Sorian) as a monk. *Father Raphael Ava Mina (candidate of the 2012 Papacy elections) used to live in Shubra (Gezerat Badran). *The famous French-Egyptian-Italian singer Dalida was born in Shubra in 1933.DalidaFoxy Tunes
*The Egyptian actress

Suad Nasr Suad Nasr Abd El Aziz ( ar, سعاد نصر عبد العزيز; 26 December 1953 – 5 January 2007) was an Egyptian theatre, television, and film actress. She was born in Shubra, Cairo, Egypt. Her fame increased for her role as the character " ...

References

External links

Faculty of Engineering at Shoubra Community website

St Mary Coptic Orthodox Church at Massarra website
{{Authority control Districts of Cairo Coptic settlements