''Abu Naddara'' (; full title ''Abu Naddara Zarqa'') was an Arabic political satire magazine based in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt, and then in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. Its title, ''Abu Naddara'', was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of the founder,

Yaqub Sanu Yaqub Sanu (, , anglicized as James Sanua), also known by his pen name "Abu Naddara" ( ''Abū Naẓẓārah'' "the man with glasses"; January 9, 1839 – 1912), was an Egyptian scriptwriter writing in Egyptian Arabic. He was a pioneer of political ...

. The magazine was the first Arabic publication which employed cartoons to express social and political criticism. It existed in the period 1877–1910.

History and profile

''Abu Naddara'' was established by Yaqub Sanu in 1877 in Cairo as a four-page publication, and the first issue appeared on 21 March that year. Yaqub Sanu had been involved in theatre, and the magazine was an extension of his theatrical activities since it covered satirical sketches based on theatrical elements. A political activist and Yaqub Sanu's mentor, Jamal al Din Al Afghani, encouraged him to launch ''Abu Naddara''. The magazine was published on a weekly basis. All caricatures published in the magazine were produced by Yaqub Sanu himself. It covered both Arabic language and

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materials in the caricatures. The Arabic materials were written in colloquial style. The magazine managed to have a large audience and sold nearly 50,000 copies. It was also distributed free of charge to army officers. However, soon ''Abu Naddara'' began to publish caricatures which criticised Khedive Ismail, ruler of Egypt, and also, the royal family of Egypt. Yaqub Sanu employed symbolism to criticize the rulers of Egypt and Ottoman Sultan and created the following carton figures: Sheikh Al Hara (Arabic: the Chief of the quarter) represented Khedive Ismail, Al Wad Al Ahbal (Arabic: the Foolish Boy) for Khedive Tewfik and Sheikh Al Tumn (Arabic: the chief of the prison) for the Ottoman ruler Sultan Abdul Hamid. Due to the critical approach of the magazine Yaqub Sanu was forced by Khedive Ismail to leave Egypt, and as a result, he settled in Paris where he continued to publish ''Abu Naddara''. The first issue published there appeared in August 1878, and the magazine was also sent to Egypt in secret. The new target of the magazine became the British authorities in Egypt from 1882. ''Abu Naddara'' attempted to get assistance from the French authorities to end the British rule in the country. The magazine ceased publication following the December 1910 issue. The full issues of ''Abu Naddara'' were archived at Occidental College, Los Angeles, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Naddara 1877 establishments in Egypt 1910 disestablishments in France Arabic-language mass media in France Defunct Arabic-language magazines Defunct bilingual magazines Defunct magazines published in Paris Defunct political magazines published in France Defunct political magazines published in Egypt Defunct French-language magazines Egyptian political satire Magazines about comics Magazines established in 1877 Magazines disestablished in 1910 Defunct magazines published in Cairo Satirical magazines published in France Weekly magazines published in Egypt Non-French-language magazines published in France