The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

(Image credit: Rosaelyoussef)

“I wish that his biography, not his poetry, is taught in schools because he’s an iconic role model. The youth must know about him to learn about patriotism,” said Nehal Kamal, the wife of late Egyptian poet, Abdel Rahman El Abnudi during the opening ceremony of a square carrying his name in Ismailia Governorate.

The ceremony took place on the 14^th of February, with the attendance of Head of the Suez Canal Authority, Lieutenant Osama Rabei, along with the General Director of the Presidency Administration of the Authority, Yahya Al Mahjoub, according to Rosaelyoussef. The square was renovated before a picture of El Abnudi was placed in the middle. He had requested to be buried in the cemeteries of Mount Mary next to his house in Ismailia, after living there for a long period of his life, escaping Cairo’s crowds. On the day of his death in April 2015, Ismailia Governorate honoured his memory by giving the name “Abnudi” to the university square.

El Abnudi wrote over 14 anthologies during his lifetime, including his most famous works, Gawabat El Osta Haragy El Ott (Osta Haragy El Ott’s Letters), Wogooh Ala El Shat (Faces on the Beach), and El Ahzan El Adeya (Ordinary Miseries), which have been translated into various languages, with some being taught in Spain. He also wrote many songs for popular singers like Abdelhalim Hafez, Shadia, Sabah, Warda, Mohamed Roshdy, Fayza Ahmed, and Mohamed Mounir.

Watch the ceremony via El Masry El Youm below: