Zamalek

Did you ever dream about living on an island ?

Zamalek is an island, it is not distant and in the middle of nowhere though, it is in the middle of Cairo in fact at the very center.

Zamalek is situated in the Nile and is one of its largest islands; its natural isolation by the water kept it from being inhabited for many years.
It was only a few centuries ago when civilization touched this island.

Zamalek (Arabic: الزمالك‎ pronounced [ez.zæˈmæːlek], al zamalek) is an affluent district of western Cairo encompassing the northern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River. The island is connected with the river banks through three bridges each on the east and west sides of the island, including the Qasr El Nil Bridge and 6th October Bridge. It has witnessed many phases of growth affected by many economic and political currents which has led to a crowding of parts of the island including great reductions in the Zamalek district’s open green areas, but with a large greenbelt across the island’s middle defining the two districts.

The southern part of Zamalek is the one where the greenery is most preserved that is because of the three sporting clubs found there.
The clubs are “Gezira sporting club”, “Ahly sporting club” and “Cairo sporting club” in order of size.
The clubs along with the opera house and the Cairo tower (the opera and the tower have spacious green landscapes) represent the green space of Cairo let alone Zamalek.
The central part although very small is mostly commercial especially just under the “26 of July” bridge and the southern part of the main street intersecting most of Zamalek vertically “Hassan Sabry”, not to mention the Marriott hotel on the east shore of the island.
The north part of Zamalek is more of a residential area and as previously mentioned is intersected by “Hassan Sabry” street. The place holds in its streets a number of very prestigious households.
The banks of the Zamalek Island host many tourist ships mostly on the East Side, on the other hand the West Side (facing Giza) features many waterfront casinos and restaurants.

Lifestyle:

One an average Egyptian makes is a sarcastic note concerning his financial status he would say; “I do not own a villa in Zamalek to afford so and so.” clearly stating the significance of the neighborhood and the financial welfare of its residential crowd. Zamalek is also known for its large masses of foreign populations and ambassadors that favored this unique island for residential and business purposes.
Although the fact that this huge number of foreign ambassadors and their presence in the area resembles feelings of discomfort to the Zamalek residents due to their polluting guards and the neighborhood’s strong law application especially in traffic issues like parking, honking and one way streets.
Another social aspect about Zamalek is the sporting clubs especially Gezira sporting club where almost all of Zamalek’s citizenry gather just for the sake of it or to play their favorite sports (most common are tennis and golf) or take their kids for some quality time.
Zamalek also stands out as one of Cairo’s very alive areas; by day shopping in Zamalek could be nice and spending time in one of Zamalek’s luxurious hotels would be fantastic.
Staying in these hotels till nighttime is also worth it as they and actually the whole of Zamalek offers great night entertainment.

Nightlife:
a night out in Zamalek would be remarkable, the island offers a wide variety of places to go and things to do.
Anything from the average coffee shop going through bars, pubs and restaurants up to the most exotic clubs in the country can be found in Zamalek and with numbers.

Zamalek, along with Maadi, Mohandessin, Heliopolis, and Garden City, is one of the affluent residential districts in Greater Cairo.^[1] Many non-Egyptians live in Zamalek. There are many apartments with sporadic maintenance because the landlords rarely make improvements; there are rent control programmes that allow several Zamalek complexes to house low income and middle income Egyptians.^[2]

The quiet, leafy streets and 19th-century apartment blocks and villas make this one of the most attractive parts of the city and a favored residential location for many of Cairo’s European expatriates.^[3] It is also the district of many fine restaurants, bars and cafes, including traditional open-air ahwas and European cappuccino bars. The Gezira Island area is culturally active: with art galleries and museums, including the Museum of Islamic Ceramics; and two of Cairo’s major music and performing arts venues – the spacious Egyptian Opera House complex, and the El Sawy Culture Wheel Centre.

Several Zamalek buildings have an Art Deco style.

Renting in Zamalek:

Zamalek is counted amongst Cairo’s first class neighborhoods and is of course on Cairo’s first class price list.
Like everywhere else the prices in Zamalek have slightly fallen compared to the last few years. This is a consequent to a remarkable rise in supply not meeting its match in demand.
Another common aspect of the renting phenomena is the recently applied new law, which clarifies and defines renting issues, accentuating the priority of a contract.
Sellers target the clients giving priority to foreigners specially on offering furnished households aiming for clarity, punctuality, and responsibility for furniture as well as foreign currency.
The price hierarchy mechanism can now be illustrated, granting the highest prices for the first row on the island shores backwards on a linear basis, depending greatly on the factors of view and direct access to the bridges and main roads
On the other hand the Gezira sporting club imposes another price hierarchy, although not half as strong with the spacious club as a center.
The prices are highest just around “Gezira” and decline as you see less and less of the green from your windows.
On a personal note, I would like to point out that living in Zamalek or spending time in it to begin with is an experience with a new taste.
I can confidently say that our Zamalek is one neighborhood with style, elegance and most of all class.

History

Under Khedive Ismail the Island was called “Jardin des Plantes” (Garden of Plants), because of its great collection of exotic plants shipped from all over the world. French landscape designer De la Chevalerie designed the island’s landscape plan, gardens, and plant nurseries. On the east shore a kiosk was built for attending the island and supervising its development. Although the area is known as “Gezira Island”, this is an unknown nomenclature for those living in Cairo and adjacent areas, most Egyptians know the area simply as “Zamalek”.

The kiosk was replaced in 1869 with the Gezirah Palace, a U-shaped summer mansion, which was designed by Julius Franz Pasha and decorated by Karl Von Diebitsch. The palace was built and first used for guests attending the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal.^[1] Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria and Eugénie, Empress of the French were some of the noble guests of the palace. Today the Gezira Palace is the central part of the Cairo Marriott Hotel, with its rooftop having an open-air theatre facing the Nile.

Other palaces were also built in Zamalek, including Prince of the Sa’id Toussoun’s palace, which is now a branch of the Council of Ministers, and Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace (1924), which is now the Museum of Islamic Ceramics.^[4][5] In 1882 the Gezira Sporting Club was built in the southern region of the island.^[6] Later a water garden known as the “Grotto Garden”, with a rare collection of African fish, was built by British Captain Stanley Flower in Zamalek.

Several notable Egyptian figures lived in Zamalek including the Diva of the East Umm Kulthum.

Demographics

As of 2010, over 420,000 people live on the island. There are 10 hospitals in Zamalek

Landmarks

The Cairo Tower and Opera Square at night.

• Gezira Sporting Club (1882), the oldest club in Egypt.^[6]
• Cairo Tower (1960), the tallest concrete construction in Egypt, built near the Gezira Sporting Club.^[7]
• Egyptian Opera House (1988), built near the Cairo Tower, and one of the better performing arts venues in the Middle East.^[8]
• El Sawy Culture Wheel Centre (2003), (Arabic: ساقية الصاوى‎) located beneath 15 May Bridge in Zamalek, one of the most important cultural venues in Egypt.^[9]
• Museum of Islamic Ceramics^[10]
• Faculty of Fine Arts (1908)^[11]
• All Saints’ Cathedral, Cairo
• Gezirah House, Omarah El Yamani, Oldest Building in Zamalek