''Al Nahla'' (Arabic: ''The Bee'') was a weekly political magazine which existed between 1870 and 1880 with one-year interruption. It was first published in Beirut and then in London. The magazine was one of the early examples of private journalism in Lebanon. It was also one of the earliest Arabic publications in London.
History and profile
''Al Nahla'' was launched by
Louis Sabunji as a weekly publication in Beirut in 1870 when he was working as a Catholic priest in the city.
The first issue appeared on 11 May 1870.
The cover page declared that the magazine contained articles about science, industry, history, language, local affairs, foreign affairs, humour and narrations.
[ Of them the scientific, historical and humour sections were edited by Sabunji.][ ''Al Nahla'' employed illustrations, including those drawn by its editor Louis Sabunji.][ The magazine enjoyed the financial support of various sponsors, including ]Khedive Ismail
Isma'il Pasha ( ; 25 November 1830 or 31 December 1830 – 2 March 1895), also known as Ismail the Magnificent, was the Khedive of Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt and ruler of Turco-Egyptian Sudan, Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the ...
and Sultan of Zanzibar
The sultans of Zanzibar (; ) were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan. He had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the sultan of Oman since 1804. The sultans of Zanzibar were of ...
.[ ''Al Nahla'' had clashes with another Beirut magazine '' Al Jinan'' and its editor Butrus Al Bustani in early 1871 when Sabunji attacked Al Bustani.] Due to these conflicts and its anti- Hamidian content, ''Al Nahla'' was subject to bans by the Ottoman governor of Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
.[ In fact, these bans were the first censorship by the Ottoman authorities in the region.][ From August 1871 the magazine was published by Sabunji's business partner Joseph Shalfun.][
In 1876 Sabunji had to leave Beirut as a result of his increased anti-Ottoman views published in ''Al Nahla'' and settled in London.][ Next year he began to publish ''Al Nahla'' in London as a bilingual publication covering Arabic and English content.][ ]George Percy Badger
George Percy Badger (6 April 1815 – 21 February 1888) was an English Anglican missionary, and a scholar of oriental studies. He is mainly known for his doctrinal and historical studies about the Church of the East.
Life
''George Percy Badg ...
was instrumental in the restart of the magazine.[ It continued its attacks over the Ottoman Sultan in London][ denouncing him as "an usurper of the title of ... ]Caliph
A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
." However, in London ''Al Nahla'' had another goal: to support those who were planning to open the East Africa markets for European trade.[ The magazine was published regularly in London until 1 May 1880.] However, Sabunji revived it in 1883 and 1884 without any regular scheme.[
A complete collection of ''Al Nahlas issues is archived by the ]British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
, London.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahla
1870 establishments in Ottoman Syria
1880 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Defunct Arabic-language magazines
Defunct bilingual magazines
Defunct Catholic magazines
Defunct Christian magazines published in the United Kingdom
Defunct magazines published in Lebanon
Defunct political magazines published in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 1870
Magazines established in 1877
Magazines disestablished in 1880
Magazines published in Beirut
Defunct magazines published in London
Weekly magazines published in Lebanon
Catholic magazines published in the United Kingdom
Non-English-language magazines published in the United Kingdom