Bab
El-Louq Square
El-Falaki, Al-Azhar,
Bab El-Louq are all the names of the 700-year-old Bab El-Louq Square
located in Downtown Cairo. It is one of Cairo's oldest squares that embraces
the features and characteristics of downtown streets.
Bab El-Louq was
known as El-Falaki Square after Mohammed Mahmoud Pasha Hamdi El-Falaki who
lived there from 1815 to 1885. People gave him the nickname El-Falaki as he was
interested in Astronomy and he decided to study Astronomy in 1842. He was also the knowledge Minister in 1885.
In 1930 the Egyptian Government decided to name the square after him to honor
his name. But it was changed to Bab El-Louq Square, and El-Falaki became the name
of one of its side streets which is the longest in Bab El-Louq Square as it extends
from Tahrir square crossing Sherif Street and ends in Abdeen Palace square.
Bab
El-Louq, a sports venue
Bab El-Louq square
was established by El-Saleh Ayoub as an arena for his knights to play
"El-Akra" which was a kind of sport practiced while riding horses.
The square had a fence and an entrance door for the knights, players and
audience.
Bab
El-Louq streets
El-
Bostan Street: it
is now known as Mohammad Abdel Salam Aref, who was one of the Iraqi Revolution
leaders.
El-Falaki
Street: it
was named after Mohammad Mahmoud Pasha Hamdi El-Falaki who was an Egyptian Astronomer
and a pioneer of the Egyptian Renaissance in the mid-19th century.
Sherif
Street: it
was named after Sherif Pasha "Abou El-Dostour" and Queen Nazli's
grandfather. It starts from Bab El-louq intersected by
Sabri Abu Alam then Roshdy Street and Qasr El-Nil and ends at Adli Street. The
street was previously known as El-Madebegh
Street "Tanneries Street" until they moved the Tanneries to El-Fustat Area.
Suleiman Pasha
Street (Colonel Seves): Suleiman Pasha was a French colonel came to Egypt accompanying the
French Expedition. He converted to the Islamic Religion and Mohammed Ali chose
an Arabic name for him so, he named him Suleiman and granted him the title
"bey". During Khedive Abbas period, Suleiman Pasha became the General
Commander of the Egyptian Army and he was married to one of Mohammed Ali's
Daughters.
Nubar Pasha
Street: it was named after Nubar Pasha
AN Egyptian-Armenian politician and the first Prime Minister of Egypt.
Nubar Street starts from Bab El-Louq crossing el-Bustan and ends at Dar
El-Hilal.
Roshdi Pasha
Street: it was named after Roshdi Pasha, who was a
politician and Egypt's Prime Minister during 1st world war to honor his memory. The street begins at Abdel El-Aziz Street and ends at Mazloum Pasha
Street.
