Zeitoun (Arabic: الزيتون meaning olives), also al-Zeitoun, is one of the eight districts that make up the Northern Area in Cairo, Egypt.[1] It has been made famous for its Marian apparitions at the Coptic Church of the Virgin Mary of Zeitoun during the years 1968–1971.[2]
History
editUntil the First World War, the area was cultivated fields known as 'Izbet al-Zeitoun (Olive Estate), skirting the Eastern Desert just north of Cairo, and to the east of the then-new Heliopolis suburb. While Egypt was under British occupation, the Imperial School of Instruction was built there,[3] and New Zealand troops camped in the desert during the war.[4]
As Cairo expanded, Tawfiq Khalil Bey a real estate developer, bought land there and subdivided it into a suburb named Zeitoun. He also built a church that housed a mausoleum for his father, Khalil Ibrahim Pasha, in response to an appearance of The Virgin Mary.[5] Years later it would be known for a series of Marian apparitions.
Notable people
editIt was the birthplace of Fathia Nkrumah (born Fathia Rizk to a Coptic family), wife of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Northern Area". www.cairo.gov.eg. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ Johnston, Francis (1980). When Millions Saw Mary: An Account of the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Zeitoun, Cairo, 1968-77. Augustine Publishing.
- ^ "Story: EGYPT | Lives of the First World War". livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ "Zeitoun, Cairo, December 1914. From the album: Photograph album of Major J.M. Rose, 1st NZEF". Museum of New Zealand. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ Saad, Rehab (2001-06-28). "A Place of Pilgrimage". Al-Ahram Weekly. Archived from the original on 2004-11-09.
- ^ "Fathia Nkrumah: Farewell to all that". Al-Ahram Weekly. 2001-09-14. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
30°06′18″N 31°18′37″E / 30.1050°N 31.3103°E
.svg){kind=small} | This geography of Egypt article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |