Cairo University
Cairo University (Arabic: جامعة القاهرة, previously Egyptian University and later Fuad University) is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.
The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought. Several constituent colleges preceded the establishment of the university including the College of Engineering (كلية الهندسة) in 1816, which was shut down by the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan, Sa'id Pasha in 1854. Cairo University was founded as a European-inspired civil university, in contrast to the religious university of al-Azhar, and became the prime indigenous model for other state universities in the region.
Cairo University includes a School of Law and a School of Medicine. The Medical School, also known as Kasr Alaini (القصر العيني, Qasr-el-'Ayni), was one of the first medical schools in Africa and the Middle East. Its first building was donated by Alaini Pasha. It has since undergone extensive expansion. The first president of Cairo University, then known as the Egyptian University, was Professor Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed.
History
Origins
As a major offshoot of the Egyptian nationalist movement that began in the 19th century, a number of national leaders, enlightenment pioneers, and social thinkers called for the establishment of an Egyptian university teaching subjects beyond the sphere of religion (as was the case with Al-Azhar University at the time). At the beginning of the 20th century, social thinkers like Muhammad Abduh, Mustafa Kamil, Mohammed Farid, Qasim Amin, and Saad Zaghloul called for the establishment of an Egyptian university to be a beacon of liberal thought, and the basis of a comprehensive academic revival in all fields of knowledge in order to be able to cope with the international scientific and academic advancement.
At least five different parties claim to have planted the seed of the Egyptian University: Royalists; Prince Ahmad Fuad. Nationalists with Watanist affinities pressed Mustafa Kamil's claims, Umma Party and the Wafd; which have emphasized the contributions of Saad Zaghlul, Qasim Amin, and Muhammad Abduh. But early suggestions came from the bureaucrat Yaqub Artin and the journalist Jurji Zaydan. In 1894 Yaqub Artin; suggested that the existing higher professional school could well provide the basis for a university. Jurji Zaydan had two models in his mind for the new university.
In 1900 al-Hilal; called for an "Egyptian College School" to provide home-grown modern higher education in Arabic, so that Egyptians would not have to go to Europe. The other model was the Syrian Protestant College which American missionaries had founded in Beirut.
In 1908, Mustafa Kamil and Qasim Amin died, and Khedive Abbas II took the project of the university under his wing, naming his son, Crown Prince Abd al-Munim, as honorary head. Then he considered four other princes: Husayn Kamil, Umar Tusun, Muhammed Ali, and Ahmed Fuad; or the actual leadership of the university. Only Fuad was both willing to serve and acceptable to the British, who were occupying Egypt and Sudan at the time. He was named for the post late in 1907. Abbas assigned the university LE5,000 annually from the Awqaf Department which, unlike the rest of the state budget, was still under his personal control.
On March 31, 1914; Husayn Kamil, minister of Justice and the University Rector was speaking at the university's ground ceremony for a new building, he said: "On the eastern side of Cairo, al-Azhar has stood for nearly a 1000 years. It has been a lofty beacon sending light all directions and immortalizing the sciences of the Arabs and the civilization of Islam. Now here is the new university which will be built in the age on the western side of the city to spread Arabic sciences together with Western learning. These twin brothers will cooperate henceforth in enlightening both banks of the blessed Nile, from the right and from the left, in the things which will restore the people of the valley to complete well-being and full glory".
New Central Library
A new Central Library is planned.[1]
Faculties and branches
Notable alumni
As Cairo University is one of the most influential universities in the Middle East. Its alumni include politicians, lawyers, sheikhs, bishops, scientists, poets, and academics. This is a list of the notable alumni and attendees of Cairo University. They are listed first by decade of their graduation (or last attendance) and then alphabetically.
1910s
- Taha Hussein (1889–1973) was born in Izbit il-Kilo, Egypt. In 1914 he became the first person to graduate from Cairo University.[2] Later he was the first Egyptian Dean of the Faculty of the Arts there and the first Egyptian to be nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature. He was also Minister of Education. He was blind from early childhood.[3]
1920s
1930s
- Philosopher and writer Abdurrahman Badawi was born in Sharabas a village in Dakahlia Governorate (Now in Damietta Governorate), He graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University in 1938. He earned his PhD in 1944 at the age of 27, Taha Hussein said: "Today we see the birth of the first Egyptian Philosopher" he became a Professor of Philosophy at Cairo University then went to Ain Shams University in 1951. He also taught at Kuwait University. He wrote over 150 books and died on July 25, 2002.
- Yehia Hakki is one of the pioneers of the Twentieth Century modern literary movement in Egypt. He has experimented with the various literary norms: the short story, the novel, literary criticism, essays, meditations, and literary translation.
- Writer and philosopher Naguib Mahfouz was born in the Gamaliyya district of Cairo in 1911. He graduated from Cairo University in 1934. He has published more than fifty books of fiction, many of which have been translated and published in English. The film Cairo 1930 was based on his novel al-Qahira al-jadida. In 1988 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.[4]
- Zaki Naguib Mahmoud was a "Philosopher of Authors & Author of Philosophers".[5] He was an associate of philosopher Bertrand Russell and John Eyre. He graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University in 1930. He earned his PhD in England, then returned to Egypt and became a Professor of philosophy at his alma mater. He also taught at Kuwait University and wrote for Al-Ahram newspaper. He wrote many books, including The Philosophy of Science (1952), The Reasonable and the Absurd in our Intellectual Heritage (1975), and Seeds and Roots (1990).
- Sameera Moussa was an Egyptian nuclear scientist. She graduated with a B.Sc. in radiology from Cairo University.
1940s
- Mohamed Hassanein Heikal is a prominent Egyptian journalist. He served as the editor-in-chief of the Cairo newspaper Al-Ahram (1957–1974). Mr. Heikal has been a respected commentator on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs for more than 50 years.
- Saad Aziz Ibrahim was a Coptic Church Bishop who was killed along with Anwar Sadat in 1981. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Cairo University in 1940. He was "a major figure in the Coptic revival." (The Times, October 12, 1981) He was the former chairman of the Middle East Council of Churches. He was elevated to Bishop by Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria in 1962. In 1971 he won the most votes in the papal election to succeed Cyril VI, but lost when the final decision was made by drawing lots (ibid.). [www.st-peter-st-paul-coptic-orthodox-church.org]
- Michel Wahba (1912–2000) was a clinical psychologist and academic. He grew up in Cairo and attended the College of Engineering at Cairo University. He graduated at the top of his class and was offered a full scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, but he turned it down to care for his brothers and sister. After graduation, he worked for American University in Cairo. Later he won a scholarship to the University of Chicago, where he earned his master's in 1951. In 1959 he won the Fulbright Scholarship and went with his wife and children to the University of North Carolina, where he earned his PhD. He worked for UC Davis as a clinical psychologist at Sacramento County Mental Hospital.
- Halim El-Dabh (b. 1921), Egypt's foremost living composer of classical music, and the composer (in 1960) of the original score to the Son et lumière show at the site of the Great Pyramids of Giza. He earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering in 1945 and emigrated to the United States in 1950.
- Osman Ahmed Osman, engineer who founded Arab Contractors, builders of the Aswan Dam. Later an elected politician.
- Magdi Wahba (1925–1991), Egypt's foremost lexicographer and Professor of English Literature from 1957 to 1980 when he retired as emeritus professor. He obtained his LLB from the Faculty of Law in 1946.
1950s
- Poet Muhammad al-Fayturi was born in Al-Janina, Sudan. He spent his childhood in Alexandria, Egypt. He studied Islamic sciences, philosophy and history at Al-Azhar University in Cairo until 1953. That year, he published his first book of poems, "Songs of Africa." He then attended Cairo University for two years. His other poetry collections include Sunrise and Moonset and Lover from Africa. His work deals with issues of race, class and colonialism and is influenced by Sufi philosophy.[7]
- Latifa al-Zayyat (1923–1996) was an Egyptian artist and intellectual. She was born in Dumyat and earned her Ph.D. in English literature from Cairo University in 1957. She was head of the English department there from 1976–1983. Her first novel, Al-Bab al-Maftooh (The Open Door) was published in 1960. Later in life she founded and led the Committee for the Defense of National Culture, which spearheaded efforts against the normalization of cultural relations with Israel.[8]
- Albert Arie (aka Mohsen Allam) is an Egyptian Jew born in Cairo who converted to Islam. He earned his degree from the Faculty of Law of Cairo University in 1950. He was a Wafdist and devoted socialist. He is a historian of Jewish culture in Egypt.[11]
- A. H. Kafrawy, BDS, MSD – Professor Emeritus, Indiana University [12] Kafrawy taught at Indiana University School of Dentistry for over 30 years. He earned his BDS from Cairo University in 1958 and later attended medical school there before earning his MSD in Oral Diagnosis/Oral Medicine from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1962. He is a Faculty Member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching from the Indiana Dental Association in 2000.
- Magdi Yacoub is a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London. He was involved in the first UK heart transplant in 1980, carried out the first UK live lobe lung transplant and went on to perform more transplants than any other surgeon in the world. Mr. Yacoub graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University in 1957.
1960s
- Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq 2003. He entered the Faculty of Law at Cairo University in 1962 and left to return to Iraq in 1964. He also attended Mustanseriya University in Baghdad. He was executed on December 30, 2006 for crimes against humanity.[14][15][16][17]
- Kamal A. Mansour is a retired professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. He provided the funds for Emory's Kamal A. Mansour Professorship of Thoracic Surgery. He attended medical school in Cairo, earning his M.D. from Emory in 1968. He has pioneered lifesaving techniques in thoracic surgery. He has trained surgeons at Cairo University Faculty of Medicine, the National Institute for Cancer of Cairo University, Tanta University Faculty of Medicine and the El Galaa Military Hospital of Cairo.
- Omar Sharif is an Egyptian-born actor (of Lebanese and Syrian origin) who has starred in many Hollywood films. He studied mathematics and physics at Cairo University and graduated in 1963.
- Ahmed Ezz (born in 1959) graduated from Cairo University with a degree in Civil Engineering[1]. He is an Egyptian politician and business tycoon and the Chairman and Managing Director of Al Ezz Industries. Ezz was arrested for corruption following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
1970s
- Mamdouh El-Nady is a USA Department of Defense Culture and Foreign Language Advisor. He is an Arabic Linguist & Annotator for the Center for Computational Learning Systems, Columbia University, a Certified Language Tester for ACTFL, and a Reviewer for Annals Foreign Languages Journal. He served as a consultant for Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Supreme Education Council of Qatar, and served as a Director of Languages and Regional Studies at Middle East Institute. Dr. El-Nady taught in many American universities and institutes include: University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and the US Air Force Academy where he served as a Distinguished Professor and Chair of Arabic Studies. Dr. El-Nady graduated from Cairo University in 1975 with B.Com in Business Administration, and received a MBA degree in International Management from Thunderbird Graduate School of Global Management, and then a doctorate degree in International & Multicultural Education from University of San Francisco.
- Mohamed A. Moustafa Hassan is graduated in 1977 from Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. He obtained his M.Sc. as well as Ph.D. from the same Dept. He was awarded DAAD scholarship (1984–1987) for junior Egyptian Scientists to do their research work in Germany. He worked in Calgary University as visiting Professor (1989–1992)basedon CIDA fund. He worked also in the Gulf at the following Institutions: UAEU, TSI, AUST (all in UAE), then at JGEC (KSA).
1980s
- Mustafa al'Absi is a professor of behavioral medicine and neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He was born in Yemen. He received his undergraduate psychology degree from Cairo University in 1985. He also received doctoral training in biological and clinical psychology at the University of Oklahoma. He currently directs multiple behavioral medicine research programs. He has received several honorary awards, including the Herbert Weiner Early Career Award and the Neal E. Miller Young Investigator Award. He has published more than 80 scientific articles, chapters, and edited books. He served as an editor or on editorial boards of multiple journals. He has also assumed leadership positions in several national and international organizations.
- Mohamed Osman Elkhosht is a professor of philosophy of religion and contemporary philosophy at Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. He is also a cultural advisor and a leading authority on modern Islam.
- Ahmed E. Kamal is an engineering professor at Iowa State University. He was born in Giza, Egypt. He earned his B.Sc. in electrical engineering in 1978 and his M.Sc. in 1980, both from Cairo University. After graduation, he won the Connaught Fellowship to the University of Toronto, where he earned two more electrical engineering degrees: his M.A.Sc. in 1982 and Ph.D. in 1986.[23]
- Tarek Kamel is the Minister of Communication & Information Technology since 2005. Dr. Kamel obtained a Bachelor's degree in 1985 and a Master's degree in 1988 from the Communications & Electronics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.
- Ayman Sayed is a VP of Engineering in Cisco Systems. Ayman received his Bachelor's degree in 1985 from the Communications and Electronics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.
- Jehan Sadat was the second wife of Anwar Sadat, and served as first lady of Egypt from 1970 until Sadat's assassination in 1981. She is a Senior Fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park and won the Pearl S. Buck award in 2001. She earned her B.A. (1977), M.A. (1980) and PhD (1986) degrees from Cairo University.
- Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd is an Egyptian academic and civil rights activist. He was born in 1943 and earned his PhD in Arabic and Islamic studies from Cairo University in 1981. He opposed the use of Islam for political ends in his 1992 book Naqd al-khitab al-dini (Critique of Religious Discourse). As a result, a Cairo court forced him to divorce his wife, Cairo University faculty member Ibtihal Yunis in 1995. After 1996, he and his wife fled Egypt and settled in the Netherlands, where he works at the University of Leiden. Source: "Abu Zayd, Nasr Hamid." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 3 December 2004 http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9345158.
1990s
- Ahmed T. Hadidi is a Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Plastic Surgery at Heidelberg Mannheim University, Germany, and Cairo University. He is the Secretary General of the Pan African Paediatric Surgical Association and the Mediterranean Association of Paediatric Surgeons. He won the "Pulvertaft Prize" of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand. He earned his M.B. and B. Ch. from Cairo University in 1981. He earned his M. Sc. in General Surgery there in 1985 and his M.D. in 1993.[25]
- Yassin Saif Shaibany is a "Public International Law & International Islamic Organizations" specialist. He earned various law-related degrees from Cairo University, culminating in a PhD in international law in 1997. He is a Professor of International Law at Sana'a University in Yemen. He is a former cultural attache of Yemen in Egypt and has written on human rights in Yemeni and international law.[26]
- Essam Heggy is a prominent planetary scientist in the NASA Mars Exploration Program [27] and staff scientist at the highly reputed Institut de Physique du Globe de ParisEssam HEGGY, PhD. He graduated from the faculty of sciences at the Cairo University in 1997 and received the PhD degrees from Paris VI University in 2002. He received several international awards for his role in contributing to the development low frequency terrestrial and planetary radars for subsurface exploration. He is currently a scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, TX, USA Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) were he is also serving in a number of NASA panels. Heggy who have earned a wide reputation among Egyptian youth after his resignation in 2005 from his staff position at the Cairo University to protest against the marginalization of science and youth in the Egyptian society. Rosa al Youssef the widely distributed magazine [7] in the Arab world in its annual report in 2006 selected him as one of the top 10 reformist in Egypt.
Unknown date of graduation
- Ahmed Zaki Saad (1900–1981) was executive director of the International Monetary Fund. He represented Saudi Arabia to the IMF and the World Bank from 1958–1977. He was chairman of the Board of Governors of the World Bank in 1955. He was Governor of the National Bank of Egypt in 1951–1952 and again from 1955–1957. He was also a counselor to King Saud of Saudi Arabia. He earned a bachelor's degree from Cairo University and a doctorate in law from the University of Paris.
- Kamil Idris is a former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He earned a BA in Philosophy, Political Science and Economic Theories from Cairo University (Division I with Honours). He was also a Lecturer in Philosophy and Jurisprudence there (1976–1977).
- Waheeb Zaki Salib was born February 6, 1916 in Tukh El Nasara, Egypt, and graduated with a law degree from Cairo University. He was a priest of the Coptic Church who was instrumental in establishing his religion in Germany. He was ordained a priest in Giza, Egypt in 1948 and became known af Father Salib Sorial. He was a professor of law at the Theological Coptic College in Cairo.
See also
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References
External links