Al-Abbasi Street in Mansoura: The story of a market between two minarets
At the end of Al-Sikka Al-Jadida Street, the Al-Saleh Ayub Mosque stands majestically, despite the ravages of time. Its tall minaret pierces the sky, broadcasting the call to prayer to all creation, its sound mingling with the noise of passers-by and the cries of street vendors. From there begins the street that, as soon as it is mentioned, brings to mind images and stories from the past, quickly intertwining with the present. Between the minarets of Al-Saleh Ayub and Sheikh Hassanein, Mansoura’s most famous markets stretch along Al-Abbasi Street, in a duality that brings together religion and the world, opening its doors to the interests of the people.
Al-Abbasi Street in Mansoura
The entrance to Al-Abbasi Street appears crowded with people coming and going, but the crowd gradually thins out as you go deeper into the street. People come from all directions: young and old, male and female, for a variety of purposes.
At the beginning of the street, there are shops selling ready-made clothes and mobile phones. Clothing stores range from children’s and youth clothing to bridal wear, as the street has a large number of bridal shops, household items, furniture, and fabrics. Mobile phone shops offer everything related to mobile phones, from the smallest spare parts to the latest devices. The street is also dotted with commercial agencies frequented by traders from inside and outside the governorate, where goods are sold at wholesale prices, often at the lowest prices despite the rising wave of inflation.
Generations follow one another to visit Al-Abbasi Street
A few meters to the left of the entrance, the smell of pastries and sweets attracts passersby. It comes from Ahmed Amin’s shop, “Halwani and Gelati,” which was founded in 1970 and remains a destination for generations, especially for its sugar-coated pastries filled with cream.
A little further on is the Al-Dawlatli Mosque, built by Al-Dawlatli, one of the leaders of the Salih Ayyub Mamluks. It was renovated in 1884 by his grandson Muhammad Al-Dawlatli, but was later demolished and rebuilt in a modern style, according to the book “The Story of Mansoura’s Streets” by Dr. Ihab Al-Sharbini.
In the middle of the street, on the right, is the General Authority for Health Insurance in Mansoura and the famous Al-Abbasi Clinic. It plays a major role in treating poor patients from the countryside around Mansoura. On the left is the old Al-Kanani Mosque, next to which is the popular square (Mansoura Youth Center). The street is also undergoing a new expansion with the opening of the Al-Abbasi Ready-to-Wear and Footwear Exhibition next month.
The origins of Al-Abbasi Street in Mansoura
Al-Abbasi Street stretches between old workshops, popular cafes, and restaurants, alongside buildings that were constructed a century or more ago. It branches off into side streets of historical importance, such as Al-Rehani Street (the western merchants’ market), which includes the Sidi Rehan Mosque, to which the street was recently named. It is an old mosque built by Prince Katkhda Hassan in 1235 AH/1723 AD, then rebuilt by Mr. Muhammad Sati in 1970 during the reign of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Among the craft alleys branching off from it are Haret Al-Haddadin, which still has old workshops, Haret Al-Dawlatli, and Haret Al-Bahul. The street extends until it reaches the Mosque of Sheikh Hassanin, one of the great saints of Mansoura. Its square is one of the largest squares, with several streets branching off from it that are no less important than Al-Abbasi Street. The mosque still houses the tomb of Sheikh Hassanin, whom many of the people of Dakahlia consider one of their most important and greatest saints. An annual festival is held around it in August, which adds to the importance of the street and revives the less crowded part of it throughout the year.
Allah is alive… Abbas Ji
Al-Abbasi Street dates back to the reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II (1892-1914). According to Dr. Ehab Al-Sharbini in his book “The Story of Mansoura Streets,” the place was a network of alleys and intertwined markets. This area was a large market where merchants from the Delta would come via the Damietta branch on sailboats, loaded with various goods, and cross the street from the current location of the Dakahlia Security Directorate.
He recounts that the Khedive visited Mansoura and inaugurated the street himself, naming it “Abbas Street” after him. After his deposition in 1914, Egyptians took to the streets chanting for his return: “God is alive… Abbas is coming.“ The people of Mansoura participated in the demonstrations from Abbas Street. Over time, the name changed to ”Al-Abbasi Street.“ Then, after the July Revolution, it was officially changed to ”Mustafa Kamel Street,” but the people of Mansoura and visitors to the street still know it as Al-Abbasi Street to this day.
The street was not as it is today. Its opening had an impact on the geography of the area, as it cut off two large streets that had the most important markets at the time. The old Khawajat Street began at Port Said Street and extended to the famous Tumihey Square. However, once Al-Abbasi was opened, Souk Al-Khawajat was divided into two sections. The first stretched from Port Said Street to Al-Abbasi and was called Souk Al-Tujjar Al-Sharqi (the eastern merchants’ market). The second stretched from Al-Abbasi to Al-Tumih Square and was called Souk Al-Tujjar Al-Gharbi (the western merchants’ market) or Al-Rehani Street, as mentioned above.
The opening of Al-Abbasi Street
The Al-Kanani Mosque was originally a mausoleum within the old cemetery that stood there before it was moved. It was a famous shrine, but had no clear landmarks to indicate its location. Over time, Hajj Awadin Taha (a member of the municipal council) built the mosque that is known today next to the mausoleum. Behind the shrine and mosque was a beautiful garden, described by a traveler as quoted by Dr. Ehab Al-Sharbini. Then, over time, the situation changed, the cemeteries were moved, and the Al-Kanani Mosque remained. Although the street was known for a time as Al-Haj Awadin Taha Street, it is still known today as Old Cemetery Street.
In an article by engineer Tarek Al-Badrawi in the newspaper Abu Al-Houl (Issue 3 – 2022), he mentioned the spread of tents in Al-Abbasi: “Vegetable tents were scattered in the side streets branching off Al-Abbasi Street, while fruit tents were scattered on Al-Abbasi Street itself.
This remained the case for many years until the current wholesale market was established, and the shops were moved there at the end of the 1960s. Children’s toy shops, junk shops, and chocolate shops replaced the fruit and vegetable stalls. In the side streets and alleys off Al-Abbasi Street, vegetable stalls sprang up, forming a market now known as the Fish Market.
Among the anecdotes recounted by Al-Badrawi is that the well-known songwriter Morsi Jamil Aziz, a native of Zagazig, the capital of the Sharqia Governorate, owned a stall on this street where he sold vegetables and fruit wholesale. He composed many famous songs for the Arab singing legend Umm Kulthum and the dark-skinned nightingale Abdel Halim Hafez while working in his stall.
How did Fouad Hijazi describe Al-Abbasi Street?
In his novel Shara’ al-Khalah (1968), Mansoura writer Fouad Hijazi painted a vivid picture of life on Al-Abbasi Street:
“The customers of Al-Abbasi Street are numerous and difficult to count, representing all social classes. We see tobacco merchants, manifesto merchants, camera shops, photographers, furniture and furniture exhibitions, army surplus dealers, wholesale fruit and vegetable shops, and high-end food shops, which were located at the beginning of the street on the Nile side. The most famous of these were kebab, kofta, and liver restaurants, in addition to dessert shops selling basima and lulda made from grated coconut.
Then, in the middle of the street, there were shops selling popular foods such as fava beans and falafel. Wooden carts lined both sides of the road, emitting the smell of grilled meat, while some sold meat from the head, tripe, heart, and other offal from cattle and sheep, which the general public called sweets. In the middle is an old oven, roasted corn sellers, and behind them fruit sellers selling mangoes, grapes, and figs with their scales. Next to them are knife and cleaver sellers.
Behind all of them are junk shops, toy stores, and shops selling Ramadan rockets. In addition, cafes are scattered along the street. At the beginning of the street, on the side of the Nile, there are cafes frequented by affluent people, employees, visitors to the city, and guests of the luxury hotels near the street. Closer to the street were the popular cafes frequented by local boys, farmers, street vendors, and craftsmen such as tailors, barbers, copper smiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, and cartwrights. All of these people were regular customers, and life bustled on this noisy street called Al-Abbasi Street in the city of Mansoura.
Al-Abbasi Street in the past and present… How has it changed?
Through these texts and historical accounts, we can form a rough picture of what Al-Abbasi Street was like in the past. Let us compare it with the picture we painted of the street today. This comparison reveals the role that this street plays in the lives of the people of Mansoura. It is not just a bustling commercial market, but a place where life thrives in every nook and cranny. In every alley and side street, there are stories and tales and a popular history that express the lives of ordinary Egyptians. For them, the world is like this market, from which they take what they need. But their market is between two minarets and interspersed with several minarets. They enter it from a mosque and leave it to go to another mosque. Despite their different purposes, they are united by a spirit of moderate religiosity, neither excessive nor lax. They live, compete, make mistakes, and worship. None of them find it difficult to combine religion and worldly life, and to live for the hereafter, despite the worries and sorrows that life throws at them.
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