Old shots of Nubia in a Zamalek café evoke bitter-sweet memories
CAIRO: Time stood still 40 years ago on the walls of Al Oruba café; but not because of the usual laid-back mid-afternoon slumber or the relaxing scent of mint tea.
You can’t help but be captivated by the large black and white photographs paneling the walls.
And you’ll recognize one of the faces there: A magnified color image of the café owner, all decked out in full Nubian attire, takes pride of place.
But the Nubia featured in these decades-old shots now belongs to the realm of history; a Nubia that few Egyptians are aware of.
Entire Nubian villages were drowned by the construction of the High Dam in Aswan in the 1960s.
And the Nubians who had once populated the area were displaced.
“I understand that our displacement was beneficial to the whole nation, says Awad Younis, 56, a Nubian regular of Al Oruba for the past 40 years. “But very few are actually aware of the suffering we went through after the move.
“People can’t fathom what it is like to be forced to leave behind a land we had inhabited for thousands of years.
“True we were given new villages, but some were in the middle of the desert. Some of us were lucky enough to be relocated closer to the Nile. But this doesn’t change the fact that we were completely uprooted.
Awad comes from Abu Simbel that was relocated behind the world-famous Pharaonic temple following the construction of the High Dam.
When the living conditions in the new surroundings were difficult for the displaced population, he migrated to Cairo with his family.
He was 18 then, and in Cairo he ran into Mahmoud Saad, a Nubian migrant from the reputed village of Al Jaafaara, who set up Al Oruba.
Mahmoud died a few years ago and the café now belongs to his son Fathi Awad, now 40 years old.”Fathi has never seen the original Jaafaara village or the old Nubia except in these pictures. This was why he decided to preserve the memory of land of his ancestors by magnifying these photos.
“Look at the engravings on the doors, the waterwheel, the simple villagers and their uniform, noted Awad nostalgically.
He recalled that the new land they were given as compensation for their old fields were mostly located away from the new villages.
The move marked the end of a chapter, and the typical Nubian lifestyle was dramatically altered.
The new generations became less interested in agriculture especially when amount of alluvial mud decreased when the dam was built.
“We never needed doctors or hospitals, said Awad. “Anyone who fell sick could easily be cured with the wealth of natural herbs found all around. Nubia was the epicenter of Egypt’s natural herbs.
When families were unable to adapt to their new surroundings, many of them moved to the city.
“A year after we shifted to new Abu Simbel we decided to pack and leave for Cairo. Today I only go back to visit uncles and cousins.
He describes how four decades have changed the face of these new areas. Now they are rife with modern buildings, big schools and shopping malls. And plans to build a university are in full swing.
On one six-door cupboard at the café, Awad had plastered pictures of Egypt’s four presidents: General Naguib, Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak.
In turn, the four leaders had orchestrated the destiny of Nubia since the 1952 revolution.
But Awad hasn’t lost hope in a Nubian revival.
“Mubarak’s Toshka will draw in a lot of Nubians and breathe life again into their traditions, he said cheerfully.
“Only God knows what the future holds for Nubia and Egypt. But when all is said and done, we are all Egyptians and are proud of it.
