CAIRO, Aug 27 (SEE ) - Old Cairo cafés, the world of charming men, the pioneers of coffee shops line up here and there, sipping coffee, chatting with each other and their high-pitched voices mingle with metal instruments.The vitality of the place was enhanced by the cultural, social and political debates.
There were no coffee cafes in the history of Egyptian politics that gained fame such as “Matatiya” or “Al Busta” cafe at “El Ataba” Square in Cairo.
It was frequented by Jamal al-Afghani, his disciples, and followers. It was located near the post office building known as “bosta” in Arabic.
In the 19th century, “Matatiya” building was emptied. “El-Ataba” and Opera Square were one field called the “Azbek” Square, named after Azbak Pasha Othmani who established it as his headquarter.
During the global celebrations accompanied by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Khepe Ismail commissioned an Italian engineer to draw up a new plan for the central area of Cairo. The engineer designed the Opera House in the famous historical place before the fire in 1971.
After it was damaged by fire, the Opera building was turned into a garage and the Opera was moved to the area of Al Jazeera.
Matatiya, built in 1875, was one of the most famous cities in Cairo. It was operated by a famous person called Locanda Egypt. It also included bars and the most famous cafes overlooking “El-Ataba” Square.
The cafe had a historical value and its pioneers included: Gamal al-Din al-Afghani, Sheikh Mohammed Abdo, Abdullah al-Nadim, Saad Zaghloul, Ahmed Shawqi, Abbas Akkad, and Mazni.
In 1960, the cafe was pided into shops but it stopped operation. The only outlet that remained in operation was Khepe’s cafe and bar named as “Khepe Opera House” which turned into a garage.
[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="http://see.news/images/2018/08/Matatiya-Cafe_..-The-Secret-of-Revolutions-and-maker-of-cultures..mp4"][/video]
Follow the latest news on Google News
