Ali Bek bin Ahmad bin Abu el-Fotoh Pasha (), commonly known as Ali Abu el-Fotoh () (1913 – 1873) was an
Egyptian
''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
jurist and economist. He was born in
Belqas and grew up there. He studied in
Tanta
Tanta ( ' ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Gove ...
, then traveled to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, where he studied at
University of Montpellier
The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...
and the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
and obtained a doctorate. In
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, he moved through judicial positions until he was appointed Head of the Appeals Prosecution and then the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education. He died 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 ...
at the age of 40. He has several judicial and literary books.
["موسوعة التراجم والأعلام - أبو الفتوح"](_blank)
Archived from th
original
on 2021-09-21. Viewed on 17-02-2024.[Nabil Abu al-Qasim (2018). ''أعلام علماء مصر'' (first edition). ]Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
: دار الفضيلة للنشر والتوزيع. p. 511.[Zaki Mahammad Mogahed (1994). ''الأعلام الشرقية في المائة الرابعة عشرة الهجري''. (second edition). Part 2. Beirut, Lebanon: دار الغرب الإسلامي. p. 482.]
Biography
He was born in the city of Belqas in
Dakahlia in 1290 AH/1873 AD to a wealthy, old family and grew up there. His father was one of the most prominent
Gharbia notables, while his mother was the daughter of a senior official during the reign of
Mahammad Ali Pasha. He received a traditional education in his childhood. He completed memorizing the
Qur’an
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
at the village's
Kuttab
A kuttab ( ''kuttāb'', plural: ''kataatiib'', ) or maktab () is a type of elementary school in the Muslim world. Though the ''kuttab'' was primarily used for teaching children in reading, writing, grammar, and Islamic studies, such as memorizing ...
when he was eleven years old. He received the principles of his science at Belqas's office, then at the Saint Louis School in Tanta and stayed there for six years, during which he completed his primary and secondary studies. At that time, he was an example of a diligent, well-mannered student who was keen on his lessons, and after he obtained the baccalaureate degree with distinction then he traveled to France and studied law at the University of Montpellier and obtained a bachelor's degree from there. He was fluent in French, both speaking and writing, in a way that impressed his French teachers. Someone said about him: "He is good at it like one of its sons." In France, he founded the first Egyptian student association in Europe and was elected its general president. He and other members also published “Egyptian Progress Magazine,” the association's mouthpiece. He attended the legal conferences held in Paris during its general exhibition in 1900 and wrote a book called: "An Egyptian Tourism in Europe." Then he obtained a doctorate in economic sciences from the University of Paris. He also participated in several European legislative assemblies, contributed to drafting various laws, and participated in major legal conferences such as the Paris Conference. Then he returned to his homeland in 1894 and was appointed acting assistant in Tanta, then he was promoted to be appointed president of the appeals in 1908, then director of
Girga
Girga ( ), alternatively Digirga or Digurga is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt located on the west bank of the Nile. It is the metropolitan see of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and is the oldest continuously-inhabited city on the Afri ...
in 1909, then undersecretary of the Ministry of Education.
Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli
Khayr al-Dīn al-Ziriklī (; June 25, 1893 – November 25, 1976) was a Syrian nationalist and poet in opposition to the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, historian, Syrian citizen and a diplomat in the service of Saudi Arabia.
Career
K ...
described him as “a genius in the sciences of law.”
He worked in writing, reading, and compiling a library in Arabic and French. He had articles and research published in French and Arabic magazines. He died in Cairo in the year 1331 AH/1913 and was mourned by
Ahmad Shawqi
Ahmed Shawqi (, , ; 1868–1932), nicknamed the Prince of Poets ( ''Amīr al-Shu‘arā’''), was an Egyptian poet laureate, linguist, and one of the most famous Arabic literary writers of the modern era in the Arab World.
Life
Shawqi was b ...
, Hafez Bek, Ismail Sabri Pasha, and other writers and poets.
Among them is Shawqi's poem.
"علي باشا أبو الفتوح / الشوقيات / مؤسسة هنداوي"
Archived from th
original
on 2023-08-01. Viewed on 17-02-2024
Works
Abu el-Fotoh was passionate about translation and writing, and his basic works did not distract him from this matter. He, in collaboration with his companions, translated important books on French, including the book “Political Economy” by William Stanley Jevons
William Stanley Jevons (; 1 September 1835 – 13 August 1882) was an English economist and logician.
Irving Fisher described Jevons's book ''A General Mathematical Theory of Political Economy'' (1862) as the start of the mathematical method i ...
. He also wrote some important books and legal research in Arabic and French.
References
{{Reflist
1873 births
1913 deaths
Egyptian jurists
People from Dakahlia Governorate
French–Arabic translators
University of Paris alumni
University of Montpellier alumni
20th-century Egyptian lawyers
20th-century Egyptian writers
20th-century Egyptian translators
Egyptian economists