The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) has started a project to document the history of the Egyptian left as a part of a bigger drive to document Egypt's modern and contemporary history, a press release distributed by the library stated.

The library's researchers are contacting individuals who have primary documents related to the history of the left, particularly personal documents of figures associated with leftist movements, and is seeking to obtain digital copies of them.

There is a paucity of documents related to the left in the Egyptian National Archives, the release stated, explainig that the only documents available in the archives relating to the left are the reports of the secret police, known prior to 1952 as “the political pen,” and the records of court trials of leftist activists.

Library researchers are seeking to locate the testimonies of the political figures themselves since "depending on the official police and court reports would only give a negative image of the Egyptian left and the struggle of those who gave their lives to the cause of social justice and the independence of their country."

The research team has been able to obtain the documents and personal papers of Ahmed Abdalla Rozza and Sayid Darwish, two late well-known leftwingers.