A hundred years ago, no one could have imagined that cars would run on electricity, or that there would be inventions like the Internet or mobile phones. The human mind was unable to grasp that reaching space was possible, or that a satellite could be made that would explore the universe. 

A hundred years ago, Egypt’s Almussawar magazine was first published on 24 October 1924. The magazine has published over 5,000 issues since then without interruption, marking a long journey of historical coverage that has not faded with the passage of time. To mark the occasion, the magazine’s publisher Dar Al-Hilal has published a volume titled “From Monarchy to the New Republic: A Biography of a Great Nation and the Journey of an Authentic People”.

To understand the history of any newspaper or magazine, we must be aware of the political, economic, and social events that accompanied its emergence. Almussawar first appeared during a politically turbulent time for the world and especially for Egypt. 

It was marked by the introduction of the country’s 1923 constitution, which stated in its preamble that the nation is the source of all authority. Egypt witnessed a significant transformation in its political history with the introduction of a new element in its governance structure, which was then divided between the de facto authority represented by the British occupation and the legitimate authority represented by the Palace. 

The Egyptian people emerged as a third element, proving their political existence through the 1919 Revolution and the popular bloc rallying around the leadership of Saad Zaghloul Pasha to achieve the revolution’s goals, which focused on the two main demands of national independence and constitutional struggle. 

The country was then prepared to enter its parliamentary phase at the beginning of 1924 with the Wafd Party, led by Zaghloul, contesting elections in January. The result was a sweeping victory for the Wafd, with its members securing the majority of parliamentary seats and leading Zaghloul to form the government as the first Egyptian to hold the position of prime minister. His ministry was named the Ministry of the People.

In May 1924, Al-Hilal magazine published an article titled “On Administration” by Emil and Shokri Zidan, sons of the historian George Zidan, the founder of Al-Hilal. They said that they had long considered launching a weekly illustrated magazine to complement Al-Hilal, something like a companion alongside a friend or a younger brother beside an older sibling. 

Their determination grew after they had completed preparations for the creation of an engaging and attractive publication. They intended this weekly magazine, named Almussawar, to serve as a complement to Al-Hilal and to contain content and pictures distinct from what readers were used to finding in existing magazines at the time. 

They embarked on this project in the confidence that it would fill a significant gap in the Arab press, and readers would soon recognise that the new publication differed from anything they had encountered before. Their primary goal in all their journalistic and literary endeavours was to serve the public. 

Four years earlier in 1920, Emil and Shokri Zidan had submitted a request to the Publications Office at the Ministry of Interior for a licence to publish a newspaper or periodical under the auspices of Al-Hilal. The application indicated that the newspaper would be called Al-Dunya, with Emil Zidan as the responsible director and its office located at 4 Nubar Street in Cairo. 

It was proposed as a weekly literary and humorous publication printed by the same press as that used by Al-Hilal. In the request, Emil Zidan pledged not to publish any political, administrative, or religious content without obtaining the necessary legal permits in accordance with the then publication laws, ensuring that the magazine would focus solely on literary matters. He also committed to sending five copies of each issue to the Publications Office upon publication.

On 5 January 1921, the minister of interior approved the licence for Emil and Shokri Zidan to publish Al-Dunya. He informed the governor of Cairo of his decision and added the magazine’s name to the official list of publications in the governorate. The minister also instructed them to submit two proof copies of each issue for review before printing.

Emil and Shokri Zidan subsequently submitted a new request for a licence to publish a pictorial magazine called Almussawar, which would be a literary and humorous publication printed at the Al-Hilal press on Prince Qadadar Street in Qasr Al-Nil. 

The exact date of this request is unclear, but it is believed to have been made in 1922. Evidence for this is found in a letter Emil Zidan wrote to the head of the Publications Department on 14 March 1924, stating that approximately two years earlier, the Ministry of Interior had granted them permission to publish a weekly pictorial magazine. 

However, a delay in receiving the necessary technical equipment from abroad had prevented its timely release. Now that they had acquired all the necessary permits, he said, they requested permission to publish the new magazine under the name Almussawar.

Almussawar APPEARS: On 2 April 1924, the deputy minister of interior approved the permit for Emil and Shokri Zidan to publish Almussawar, stipulating that it should focus on literary and humorous content. 

The new publication was prohibited from including any political, administrative, or religious material without prior legal authorisation. If it did, the permit would be revoked.

Almussawar was launched in 1924, an important year in 20th-century history due to events that marked a turning point not only in Egypt but also elsewhere in the world. Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared the end of the Ottoman Empire after six centuries in 1924. Sultan Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud entered the Hijaz in the same year and extended his influence over the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. In Greece, the monarchy fell, and the country became a republic, while in Iran Shah Reza Pahlavi was deposed during his absence in Europe.

In their introduction to the new magazine, Emil and Shokri Zidan said “Dear reader, this magazine is being published to entertain and delight you, speaking to you as a friend who picks a flower from every garden and a fruit from every tree. Each week, we will present you with two collections: one of images of people, events, and scenes, and another of humour and useful snippets.” 

Thus, from its earliest issues onwards Almussawar featured numerous photographs printed using rotogravure, a printing technique initially adopted in Germany and later introduced to other European countries. The magazine was the first to bring this printing method to the Arab world.

Regarding the beginnings of Almussawar, Lebanese journalist Habib Jamati, a reporter at Dar Al-Hilal and a witness to the magazine’s early years, later shared his memories, describing the magazine’s launch as being like the birth of a child. “The newborn was like most children, light, charming, and slender, with sweetness as its essence,” he said.

“We used to write for Almussawar in the basement of the building, a room located underground on Prince Qadadar Street in Kasr Al-Nil, as the management of Al-Hilal could only accommodate a very small number of editors. They rented two basement rooms for us, one for editing Almussawar and the other for storing paper.”

The magazine shifted to political coverage when the management applied to the Press Bureau on 7 April 1928 to obtain a licence for political content. The Ministry of Interior approved this request after the Press Department had prepared a memorandum about the magazine stating that the applicants, Emil and Shokri Zidan, were of good reputation and good morals and had taken their place in literature and journalism. 

The ministry saw no objection to approving the request to make Almussawar a political magazine as well.

The first issue of the magazine had 16 pages and cost 10 millimes. There was a photograph of king Fouad I on the front cover, and on the back cover there was another photograph of “Egypt’s Renaissance”, a work by pioneering sculpture Mahmoud Mokhtar. Below it, the caption said that this was a statue “located in Misr Station Square [Ramses Square] representing an Egyptian girl standing next to the Sphinx and placing her hand on its head to symbolise Egypt as she looks towards the future.”

Inside, the magazine contained various pieces written in different forms. On page three, there were selections titled “Learn with Me” featuring a collection of general information. In New York, the magazine said, a new telephone was being installed every minute. Another section was called “Words of the Great” and included famous quotes from different people, in addition to a collection of Chinese proverbs. There was also a selection of scientific curiosities and information on how to listen to music on the radio, then also a new technology.

Page five was given over to the “World of Women” and included images showcasing the latest fashions in Paris as well as women carrying out new professions. Page six contained jokes and humorous anecdotes, and to engage and interact with readers, the magazine announced a prize for the best joke sent in by a reader with a prize of one riyal (20 piastres).

A major report appeared titled “A Farmer’s Son Becomes the Richest Man in the World”, summarising the extraordinary life of US motor magnate Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, as part of the content of the first issue across two pages.

The magazine used photographs not just for aesthetic purposes, but also to provide a record of the time for future generations to see. Among the photographs in the early issues was one of king Hussein, the former king of the Hijaz, on the occasion of his abdication in favour of his son Ali, and a photograph of king Ali, proclaimed constitutional king by the people of the Hijaz, working towards making peace with Ibn Saud. 

Between the images of father and son was one of Abdul-Aziz Al-Faisal Al-Saud, the Sultan of Najd, in his palace in Riyadh showcasing the cannons he had captured in his previous military victories. Next to them was a photograph of Guindi Ibrahim, the founder of the newspaper Al-Watan, as part of his obituary, and by it was a photograph of Marcus Hanna Pasha, minister of public works in Saad Zaghloul’s government, who had undertaken an inspection mission to look into irrigation works and agricultural conditions in Egypt.

The first issue of the magazine did not contain advertisements, and it was edited by the brothers Emil and Shokri Zidan themselves. In the entertainment section, the Zidan brothers published images titled “Optical Illusion” featuring a picture of three men with four lines behind them, asking readers who was the tallest man among the three. They also published a collection of useful health tips called “How to Extend your Life”, which included 10 tips on food, clothing, and aspects of daily living. 

Emil and Shokri Zidan concluded the first issue of Almussawar by asking “did you like this issue of Almussawar? Keep it and wait for the next one.”

COMMEMORATION: Journalist Abdel-Latif Hamid, the current editor-in-chief of Almussawar, said that the publication of a commemorative issue by Al-Hilal was a dream come true. Plans had started in May, he said, and the issue had appeared in time to mark the centenary of the magazine.

The team had put in significant efforts over six months of research in more than half a million pages, 5,220 issues, and two million images in the magazine. All the staff of Almussawar and Dar Al-Hilal had collaborated to produce the historic issue in a manner befitting Egyptian journalism in general and particularly Dar Al-Hilal and its crown jewel Almussawar.

Hamid said that the commemorative issue reviews pivotal events over the past 100 years, documenting in words and images the 100 most important national issues that have appeared in Almussawar magazine alongside the 100 most significant intellectual issues. There is also a review of influential figures over the course of the last century.

This exceptional issue includes more than 1,000 rare images from the magazine’s archive that illustrate the story of the nation over the course of a century. There is also a section on topics ranging from community anecdotes to sports, art, and caricatures.

Journalist Ashraf Al-Talabi, managing editor of the commemorative issue, said that it was more than just another edition of the magazine since it was a historical document that chronicles the major events that Egypt has witnessed over the past 100 years.

It includes interviews with prominent figures who have influenced various fields, alongside hard-to-find articles by senior politicians and thinkers. Through this special edition, Almussawar had reaffirmed its pioneering position in the history of Arab journalism and its determination to continue as a mirror reflecting the life of the nation in the past and present, he said.

Let us recall the words of Emil and Shokri Zidan when they asked in the very first issue, “did you like this issue of Almussawar? Save it and wait for the next.”

* A version of this article appears in print in the 28 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly