The Greek and Cypriot communities that called Egypt home from the 18th century onward had a significant influence on society and life as a whole.
With their incredible contribution still felt to this day, Egypt has launched a new initiative titled Roots Revival Week in a bid to formally remember and celebrate these communities and send a message of love to all who lived on the land and left an impact.
Egypt’s presidential spokesperson, Bassam Rady recognised that Greeks and Cypriots worked alongside their Egyptian brothers leading to a great renaissance in Egypt. They participated in cultural, commercial and industrial fields, crafting the country’s first banks, and were represented across business life, shipbuilding, agriculture, tourism, printing and publishing.
Many non-Egyptians fled the country before the Egyptian Revolution and after the Suez Canal Crisis, but the Greeks were the last to leave, eventually going on to migrate to countries like Australia and the United States.
The Roots Revival Week concept was first proposed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on a visit to Cyprus in 2017, and was officially inaugurated on Monday in Alexandria by Sisi and his Greek counterpart, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus.
To help mark the occasion, members of the Greek and Cypriot communities currently residing in Egypt were also in attendance.
Throughout the week, the initiative will see scheduled visits made to specific landmarks in Alexandria where the Greek and Cypriot communities lived.