Kafr El Dawwar An industrial city near Alexandria in the north-west Nile delta; the scene of labour unrest following the 1952 revolution that led to the execution of two activists.
Khaled Said A young man from Alexandria who died after being beaten by members of the Egyptian police forces and whose killing led to a broad wave of popular anger.
Kosheh A village in Upper Egypt where a massacre of Copts by Muslims took place on 21 December 1999.
Maadi An affluent suburb south of central Cairo on the east bank of the Nile.
Maasara An industrial suburb south of central Cairo and Maadi on the east bank of the Nile.
Mahmoud Said Egyptian painter (1897–1964), known for his depictions of voluptuous women of the lower classes.
The Maid Is the Solution! A play on the Muslim Brotherhood slogan “Islam Is the Solution!”
Mansoura A major city of the Nile Delta, on the eastern branch of the river.
Marinab A village close to Edfu where a newly built church was burned down by a Muslim fundamentalist mob on 30 September 2011.
Masarra A northern suburb of Cairo.
Maspero and the Maspero Building The headquarters of Egypt’s state television and radio broadcasting system, on the east bank of the Nile.
Max Common name for 4-Methylaminorex (4-MAR, 4-MAX), a stimulant drug also known as “Euphoria” and “Ice.”
Medinet Nasr A north-eastern suburb of Cairo, built in the late 1950s to absorb overflow population from older districts of the city.
the Mère de Dieu The Collège de la Mère de Dieu, a historic French-language school for girls run by nuns, founded in 1880 and based in its current location in Garden City since 1921.
the Military Council The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Mounira A middle- to lower-middle-class neighbourhood in south central Cairo.
the Museum The Egyptian Museum, at the northern end of Tahrir Square.
the Muslim Brotherhood An Islamist religious, political, and social movement founded in Egypt in 1928 and banned there in September 2013; its head is referred to as the Supreme Guide.
the National Association and the National Association for Change A loose grouping of progressive Egyptian political forces and individuals headed by Mohamed El Baradei and active from 2010 to an undetermined date.
the National Party The Democratic National Party, Egypt’s ruling party from the party’s foundation in 1978 until the overthrow of its then leader, Hosni Mubarak, on 11 February 2011; dissolved 16 April 2011.
new rent A new-rent flat is one whose rent increases annually, as opposed to “old” fixed-rent flats; new rents were introduced in the 1990s, and apply predominantly to newly built properties.
the North Coast Egypt’s Mediterranean coast between Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh, developed intensively for tourism beginning in the 1980s.
October and October City 6th of October City, a major upmarket residential development on the west bank of the Nile south-west of Cairo.
Omar Makram Mosque A mosque named after a revolutionary figure of the early nineteenth century, that stands on the southern edge of Tahrir Square.
Palace of Culture Any of the institutions run by the General Authority for Palaces of Culture, under the Ministry of Culture, with the aim of promoting culture among the masses.
Qasr El Eini A neighbourhood in south-central Cairo, home to a large hospital complex and to Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine.
Qasr El Nil One of central Cairo’s main thoroughfares.
the Revolutionary Socialists A Marxist–Trotskyite political organisation that played an active role in the organisation of sit-ins in Tahrir Square.
Saad Zaghloul Saad Zaghloul (1859–1927), nationalist politician and leader of the Wafd (“the Delegation”), a political party.
the Saints Church massacre The massacre at the Church of the Two Saints, at Sidi Bishr in Alexandria, where bombs exploded on 1 January 2011 resulting in the death of twenty-one people and the injury of many more; following the 2011 uprising, documents surfaced that indicated the involvement of the minister of the interior in the attack.
Salah Salem Road An arterial road skirting Cairo on the east.
Sayeda Zeinab A traditional and lower-class neighbourhood on the south-western edge of Cairo’s medieval district.
the Settlement see the Fifth Settlement
Sheikh Zayed Sheikh Zayed City, an upscale residential development west of Cairo established in 1995 and named after the late president of the United Arab Emirates.
the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces A body created in 1954 and consisting of senior officers of the Egyptian armed forces, which convenes at times of national emergency; it took over power from deposed president Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011 and relinquished it on 30 June 2012 following elections.
Supreme Guide see the Muslim Brotherhood
Tahrir Square A large, irregularly shaped space on the southern edge of central Cairo that became the main focus of demonstrations during the uprising that began on 25 January 2011; the name means Liberation Square and was given following Nasser’s 1952 revolution.
Talaat Harb Street One of central Cairo’s main thoroughfares.
Talkha A town in the Nile Delta.
Tantawi Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, commander in chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, who served as de facto head of state from the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011 until the inauguration of Mohamed Morsi as president of Egypt on 30 June 2012.
Tradition Arabic hadith; an authenticated saying of the Prophet Muhammad, taken by believers as a guide to their conduct.
Turah An industrial area south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile.
Uncle An informal title of respect for social inferiors.
the Wafd A political party (literally, “the Delegation”) founded to argue for the independence and unity of Egypt and Sudan at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Though its participation at the conference was denied, the Wafd went on to spearhead Egypt’s nationalist movement until banned in 1952.
Wahhabi Pertaining to the ultraconservative interpretation of Islam preached by Muhammad ibn Abd El Wahhab (1703–92) and followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Zahret El Bustan café A café on Talaat Harb Street, close to Tahrir Square.
Zamalek An upper-class residential district on the island of Gezira.
A Note About the Author
Alaa Al Aswany originally trained as a dentist and retains his own dental practice in Cairo. The Yacoubian Building has sold over one million copies worldwide and was the best-selling novel in the Arab world for more than five years. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages and published in over one hundred countries. He speaks Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. Al Aswany has received many awards internationally, including the Bashrahil Award for the Arabic novel, the Kafavis Award from Greece, and the Grinzane Cavour Award from Italy, and he was named by The Times (London) as one of the fifty best authors to have been translated into English over the last fifty years. In 2016, he was appointed a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France.
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The Republic of False Truths Page 43