Stunning color photos of Egypt from the 1920s

This collection of autochromes, taken by Gervais Courtelamont and W. Robert Moore for National Geographic in the 1920s, reveals the everyday lives of Egyptian women, men, merchants, and children. They show familiar sights of downtown Cairo and famous sites such as the pyramids.

In the 19th century, communities of unorganized foreigners, mainly Europeans, living in Egypt grew rapidly; They established dominance over finance, industry and government.

In the 1920s, which was the peak period, the number of foreigners in Egypt exceeded 200,000, the largest community being Greeks, followed by Italians, British and French.

The arrival of Europeans in Egypt led to the reconstruction of Cairo. The modern quarters of the city were taken over by European immigrants, who built European shops and exclusive clubs.

The city's new quarters grew into vast blocks of apartment buildings. Two new sections were added to Cairo: Maadi in the south, built as an exclusive European enclave shortly after the turn of the century, and Heliopolis in the north-east, built in the 1910s.

These areas were built with the latest modern amenities: running water, electricity and a tramway that connected Heliopolis to central Cairo. In contrast, older parts of the city were not modernized.

The history of modern Egypt, according to most scholars, dates from the beginning of the rule of Muhammad Ali in 1805 and his initiation of the Egyptian modernization project, which included the creation of a new army and suggesting a new map for the country, although the modern history of Egypt The definition of varies. In line with different definitions of modernity.

Due to his military campaigns against the empire and his ability to recruit massive armies, Muhammad Ali's dynasty became practically independent from Ottoman rule, allowing them to control Egypt and parts of North Africa and the Middle East. Got permission.

In 1882, the Khedivate of Egypt became part of the British sphere of influence in the region, a situation that conflicted with its status as an autonomous vassal state of the Ottoman Empire.

The country became a British protectorate in 1915 and gained full independence in 1922, becoming a kingdom under the rule of the dynasty of Muhammad Ali, which lasted until 1952.