Maadi ( ) is a leafy and once suburban district in the Southern Area of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, on the east bank of the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

about upriver from downtown Cairo. The modern extensions north east and east of Maadi, New Maadi and Zahraa al-Maadi are administratively part of the Basatin district. The

in Maadi is paralleled by the

Corniche A corniche is a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising up on one side of the roadway and falling away on the other. The English language has adopted the word from the French term ' or "road on a ledge", itself derive ...

, a waterfront promenade and the main road north into Cairo. There is no bridge across the Nile at Maadi; the nearest one is located at El Mounib along the Ring Road (Tarik El-Da'eri, ) on the way north to the downtown. Maadi's population was estimated to be 85,000 according to the 2017 census. The district is popular with international expatriates as well as Egyptians and is home to many embassies, as well as major international schools, sporting clubs, and cultural institutions such as the

Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt The Supreme Constitutional Court (, ''Al Mahkama Al Dustūrīya El ‘Ulyā'') is an independent judicial body in Egypt, located in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. The Supreme Constitutional Court is the highest judicial authority in the Arab Republi ...

and the national

Egyptian Geological Museum The Egyptian Geological Museum is a museum in Cairo, Egypt. The museum was established in 1901 as part of the Egyptian Geological Survey, which had been started in 1896 under the direction of the Isma'il Pasha, Khedive Ismail. The museum was the f ...

Name

''Maadi'' is the plural form of the word ( ), which means "ferry"; hence, el-Maadi literally means "The ferries". The story goes that the name comes from a ferry crossing in the area where ferries carried people from the east side of the

to the west.

History

Maadi today stands on the site of a town that has turned out to be a significant

predynastic Prehistoric Egypt and Predynastic Egypt was the period of time starting at the first human settlement and ending at the First Dynasty of Egypt around 3100 BC. At the end of prehistory, "Predynastic Egypt" is traditionally defined as the period ...

, Ancient Egyptian archaeological site, founded ca. 3500 B.C. Building activity in the area has destroyed some archaeologically sensitive places. In

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the area of Maadi became a Coptic

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

region comprising ''Deir at-Tin'' (, ) and ''Deir al-Adawiya'' (, ). Maadi traces its modern history to 1904, when the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

between Cairo to the north and

Helwan Helwan ( ', , ) is a suburban district in the Southern Area of Cairo, Egypt. The area of Helwan witnessed prehistoric, ancient Egyptian, Roman and Muslim era activity. More recently it was designated as a city until as late as the 1960s, befor ...

to the south was built. This, in combination with land speculation by the Mosseri cousins and city planning by Alexander Adams, gave rise to a new town. Construction was originally limited to the area adjacent to the railway, but eventually spread west to the

. Also, a large British army camp was built east of the railway. The

town planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

was done in 1905 by a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

retired officer, Captain Alexander J. Adams. His vision led to the wide streets and large villas still seen in Maadi today. There were very strict rules associated with residential development in Maadi with regards to the size of houses, how much of the property could be occupied by the house and how much had to be left for the garden, and the size of the

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...

s. Even window shutters had prescribed colours. Other regulations included wireless radio noise control after 22:00 and fines for not maintaining gardens properly. The world's first solar thermal power station was built in Maadi. An example of

British colonial The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming p ...

life in Maadi may be found in ''The house at Maadi'', a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

Gerald Bullett Gerald William Bullett (30 December 1893 – 3 January 1958) was a British man of letters. He was known as a novelist, essayist, short story writer, critic, poet and publisher. He wrote both supernatural fiction and some children's literature. A ...

from his collection ''The street of the eye'' (1923).

Second World War

During the period between 1940 and 1945, Maadi had an important role in the Military of New Zealand during World War II. The Divisional Cavalry Regiment disembarked on 14 February 1940 and entrained for the New Zealand base camp at Maadi. In total around 76,000 members of the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

trained at a camp near Maadi at the base of the desert slopes of Wadi Degla and Tel al-Maadi. During that time this area belonged to the Delta Land Company which created Maadi in 1907. The rocky plateau was leased to the

New Zealand Military Forces The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

, and for the next six years it became the central depot and training area for 2 NZEF in the Middle East. A

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

interrogation centre was also located in Maadi. In July 1942, at the height of the

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

, two

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

spies revealed under questioning that they had been using a copy of

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

's ''Rebecca'', found among their possessions, as a

codebook A codebook is a type of document used for gathering and storing cryptography codes. Originally, codebooks were often literally , but today "codebook" is a byword for the complete record of a series of codes, regardless of physical format. Cr ...

for secret, coded radio transmissions. Their equipment, stored on a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...

on the River Nile, had been examined by a young signals officer from the

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

, future

President of Egypt The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt () is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the History of the Egypt ...

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

Post-1952 revolution

Following the

1952 revolution The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état () and the 23 July Revolution (), was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952, the revolution began with the toppling of King ...

(which ended the British occupation of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

) and the 1956

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

, in which Britain, France and Israel launched an invasion of Egypt to regain control of the canal, British and French expatriates living in Maadi and elsewhere were forced to leave by the Egyptian government. As a result, some of their institutions, such as St John's Anglican Church, were taken over and run temporarily by other nationalities.

Administrative divisions and population

Maadi is a district in the Southern Area of Cairo, and is subdivided into five shiakhas (census blocks). Cairo - Maadi District Map

In the 2017 census Maadi had a total population of 108,575 people spread over the five shiakhas as follows:

Maadi today

The oldest area in Maadi is El Sarayat, composed mostly of villas and low rise buildings. It is the most affluent part of Maadi along with the adjacent Degla area. These two areas are recognizable by the high number of roundabouts, quiet atmosphere and greenery. There are many flats in Maadi, mostly in lowrise buildings. There are several

highrise A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction ...

s along the

by the river, as well as in the newer, eastern part of Maadi, known as Degla. The new Maadi areas include El-Laselky St. and the Autostrad, as well as Masaken El Arays, Saqr kuraish and the houses of the Kuwaiti company, and el basatin el sharkya. which is between saqr kuraish and the houses of the Kuwait company. It is characterized by the large number of oil companies, most notably the Gulf of Suez Oil Company, as well as some other companies. The Arab region is also the most popular areas in Maadi and the Arab Maadi which is available from shops and crafts and various means of transport and its location, which connects all areas of Maadi. Maadi is the highest densely populated district in Greater Cairo, and much of it is inhabited by well-to-do Egyptians, as well as

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

s, many of whom are connected with embassies, ambassadorial residences and international corporations located in Maadi. The Cairo office for the

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

is also located in Maadi. Many streets in Maadi continue to have

speed bumps Speed bumps (also called traffic thresholds, speed breakers or sleeping policemen) are a class of traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. Variations include the s ...

as a

traffic calming Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, car drivers, pedestrians and bicycle-friendly, cyclists. It has become a tool to combat speeding and other unsafe behaviours of drivers. It aims to encour ...

measure.

Atmosphere

Maadi has a reputation for being green, quieter and more relaxed than urban Cairo. In some parts of Maadi, most notably around Cairo American College, there is virtually no traffic noise. The abundant greenery bears little resemblance to most of the crowded areas seen in urban Cairo. This reputation is true of the original core of Maadi and Degla; however, outlying developments such as "New Maadi" have brought in the same treeless neighborhoods and mundane architecture as found in much of the rest of Cairo's metropolitan sprawl.

Economy and retail

Along with its affluent residents, Maadi is home to many major restaurants, outlets and chains as well as a variety of high-end clothing shops, and other retail businesses, many of which are located along the locally famous "Road 9", Nasr st, or new Maadi as well as Maadi's original "downtown" located just south of the Maadi Metro stop on the east side of the track. Road 9 still remains a hub for both locals and expats with its diverse dining options as well as coffee shops and even bookstores. Most notably are expatriate owned businesses such as Lucille's (known for their American style hamburgers) and The BookSpot (an English language bookstore that has become a staple for Egyptians and westerners for more than 15 years). Many businesses come and go but the residents of Maadi can always depend on Road 9 to make them feel right at home.

Taisei Corporation is a Japanese corporation founded in 1873. Its main areas of business are building construction, civil engineering, and real estate development. Taisei's headquarters are located at Shinjuku Center Building in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo. ...

has its North Africa office in Maadi.

Transportation

Maadi is served by the

Cairo Metro The Cairo Metro (, lit. "Cairo Tunnel Metro" or ) is a rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It was the first of the three full-fledged metro systems in Africa and the first in the Middle East to be constructed. It was opened in ...

's Line 1, which has now taken over the Cairo-to-Helwan railway. There are three stops in Maadi – from north to south: Hadayek El Maadi, Maadi and Sakanat (Thakanat) El Maadi. Further metro construction in Maadi is foreseen, especially related to Line 6, but nothing is beyond the proposal stage as yet.

Egyptian National Railways Egyptian National Railways (ENR; ) is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA; ). History 1833–1877 In 1833, Muhammad Ali Pasha considered building a railway between Suez and Cairo to impr ...

also operates a line through Maadi, although it is strictly a freight line. There is no longer any passenger service; the station is now closed.

Nature protected areas in Maadi

* Wadi Degla Protected Area * Protected fossil trees

Culture

Cultural life in Maadi is geared to a great extent towards serving the large expatriate and affluent, bilingual Egyptian populations. For expatriates, Maadi offers a variety of community activities: religious institutions (many churches and a synagogue), amateur theatre groups, sporting clubs, adult courses, and other interest groups. The Maadi Sporting Club, for example, has served the local expat and Egyptian communities since 1921. It is also associated with the Maadi Sporting & Yacht Club by the Nile. Maadi has also become a popular place for foreigners to study

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, as the suburb now hosts a number of local language schools. Cultural venues include the new

and the large Maadi Library. Cultural life, locally, largely revolves around dining out and shopping. In addition to numerous Western restaurant chains and cafés, Maadi offers a variety of international cuisine. The most popular places for westerners to shop at "local" stores is along Road 9. There are also international and multilingual bookshops selling foreign newspapers and magazines catering to Maadi's multi-ethnic population.

Educational institutions

Maadi has a variety of public and private schools. Here are some international schools in Maadi: * Cairo American College *

Lycée Français du Caire In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

Maadi Primary Campus * Victory College * Maadi Community School * Al-Amal Semi-International School * The Higher Institute of Engineering - Thebes Academy * The Higher Institute of Computers - Thebes Academy * Sadat Academy For Management Sciences

Sport

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

members of the 2nd

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

based at Maadi Camp competed in

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...

s on the Nile against local Egyptian rowing clubs. At a regatta held on 20 November 1943 the Maadi Camp Rowing Club "Kiwi" oarsmen beat the Cairo River Club by 11 points to six to win the Freyberg Cup, which they then gifted to the competitors. In return, as a token of friendship, Youssef Bahgat presented the Kiwis with a cup. Youssef Bahgat's cup was offered to the NZARA (now NZRA) as a trophy for an annual boys' eight-oared race between secondary schools and was brought to New Zealand at the end of the war. Renamed the

Maadi Cup The Maadi Cup is the prize for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Boys' Under 18 Rowing Eights. More colloquially, it is the name given to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta, at which the Maadi Cup is raced. The regatta is the large ...

it was first raced for in 1947 at Wanganui where it was won by

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

. The Maadi Cup gained its native timber pyramid-shaped base from Mt Albert Grammar's woodwork master, Jack Jenkin, in 1951. The Maadi Sporting Club and Yacht, founded in 1920 by British expatriates who mainly worked at the Delta Real Estate Company, today offers a range of sports, such as Tennis, Football, Swimming, Squash, handball, hockey, Judo, Table Tennis, Sailing, and Rowing. Victory College is no longer the home of a men's and women's softball league; softball has not been played there since 2015.

Embassies

There are a number of embassies in Maadi: * Angola * Azerbaijan * Bangladesh * Burkina Faso * Côte d'Ivoire * Cuba * Dominican Republic * Ethiopia * Gabon * Japan * Malaysia * Mexico * Mongolia * Namibia * North Macedonia * Peru * Philippines * Sierra Leone * South Africa * South Sudan * Tajikistan * Uganda * Ukraine * Venezuela

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

*
www.maadi.Guide Ultimate Nerd Guide To Maadi District

Maadi History

Read About Maadi - Brief Information
{{Use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Archaeological sites in Egypt History of Cairo Former populated places in Egypt Districts of Cairo