Bulaq: The Place Egypt’s First Printing Press Was Born

Proper now, when people level out Bulaq, it’s normally with a dismissive shrug to what’s perceived as a crowded, lower-income neighborhood overshadowed by glossier elements of Cairo. Nevertheless peel once more the layers of concrete and memory, and also you’ll uncover that Bulaq was as quickly because the beating coronary coronary heart of Egypt’s psychological and cultural awakening. It’s the place the nation’s first printing press was born, and the place ideas, not merely ink, first flowed into the bloodstream of latest Egypt.

Under the trail of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Egypt launched a modernization mission that included sending a delegation to Milan to evaluate the paintings of printing. In 1821, that mission resulted inside the opening of what would develop to be the Bulaq Press. A 12 months later, it printed its first e-book,  an Arabic-Italian dictionary. 

The press quickly grew to change into a software program for spreading information, printing not solely Arabic texts, however as well as translating scientific books, authorities decrees, and school curricula. It was state-owned and operated, shaping education, governance, and communication inside the early years of the Egyptian state. 

For quite a few a very long time, the Bulaq Press held an important place in Egyptian public life. Its title modified over time, from the Bulaq Press to the Abd al-Rahman Rushdi Press, then to Bulaq Al-Siniya, and eventually to Al-Amiriya Press. No matter these modifications, its perform as a central printing institution remained.

Over time, the neighborhood throughout the press modified. 

By the early twentieth century, Bulaq had develop to be increasingly more industrial, attracting rural migrants from Greater Egypt and the Delta. Many obtained right here looking for work after leaving agricultural land that will not help them. The world’s central location made it a typical first stop in Cairo, nevertheless overcrowding and poor infrastructure quickly grew to change into details. Sickness and poor sanitation unfold by way of the tight, unplanned streets.

In 1973, the Amiriya Press was relocated from Bulaq to Imbaba on the west monetary establishment of the Nile. Proper now, the press nonetheless operates with a workers of spherical 2,500 employees, producing books for the federal authorities and cultural institutions, along with promotional provides. 

Among the many distinctive instruments and historic publications from the Bulaq interval are preserved inside the Bibliotheca Alexandrina as part of a eternal exhibition.

As for Bulaq itself, numerous the distinctive panorama is gone. 

Bulaq is now one of Egypt’s largest informal settlements, with virtually one million people residing in self-built housing. Buildings normally attain six or eight tales, nevertheless infrastructure has not saved tempo. Streets are slender, inexperienced space is form of nonexistent, and suppliers are restricted. Youth unemployment is extreme, and efforts at redevelopment are ceaselessly stalled on account of mistrust between residents and authorities.

Nonetheless, Bulaq’s contribution to Egypt’s trendy historic previous stays important. The printing press that after operated there carried out a big perform in shaping trendy Arabic publishing, education, and administration. Though the neighborhood has modified, its legacy stays present in schoolbooks, official paperwork, and the broader cultural memory.

Recognizing that legacy means acknowledging Bulaq not just for what it’s at the moment, however as well as for the perform it as quickly as carried out in Egypt’s enchancment.