Faris Nimr (; 1856–1951), was a pioneer Lebanese journalist and intellectual. He cofounded ''
Al Muqattam
''Al Muqattam'' (Arabic: المقطم) was an Arabic newspaper which was published in Cairo, Egypt, between 1888 and 1952. It was one of the leading papers until its closure by the Egyptian government in 1954. The title of the paper was a referen ...
'', an Arabic, Cairo-based newspaper.
Early life and education
Nimr was born in 1856 in
Hasbaya
Hasbeya or Hasbeiya ( ar, حاصبيا) is a town in Lebanon, situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking a deep amphitheatre from which a brook flows to the Hasbani. In 1911, the population was about 5000.
Hasbaya is the capital of the W ...
, Lebanon. He hailed from a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, then to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. They returned to Hasbaya in 1868.
Nimr graduated from the Syrian College in Beirut in 1874, and worked at the newly created
Lee Observatory
The Lee Observatory is an astronomy, astronomical observatory on the campus of the American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon. Opened in 1873, it is the first and the oldest observatory of the Middle East in modern times.
Nowadays the observ ...
under Doctor
Cornelius Van Dyck
Cornelius Van Alen Van Dyck, M.D. (August 13, 1818 – November 13, 1895) was an American missionary physician, teacher and translator of the Protestant Bible into Arabic. In 1890 he graduated with a doctorate in philosophy from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
.
Career
Following his graduation Nimr worked at the American College in Beirut as a lecturer. In 1876, he founded the monthly Arabic
popular science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
Yaqub Sarruf
Yaqub Sarruf (, 1852–1927) was a pioneering Lebanese writer, publisher, and translator. Sarruf was born in Al-Hadath, Lebanon. His father sent him to the American School in Abey, then to the Syrian Protestant College where he obtained a bachel ...
in Beirut. They both moved to Cairo in late 1884 where they continued publishing ''Al-Muqtataf'' with great success. They managed to restart the magazine after they were permitted to resume its publication by the British authorities in Egypt.
In 1889, Nimr founded ''Al Muqattam'', an Arabic, Cairo-based daily newspaper with Yaacoub Sarrouf and Shahin Makaryus. He became member of the Egyptian Senate. As of 1918 Nimr was a member of the Syrian Welfare Committee of which other members included Suleiman Nasif,
Haqqi al-Azm
Haqqi al-Azm ( ar, حقي العظم / ALA-LC: ''Ḥaqī al-‘Aẓm''; 1864, in Damascus – 1955) was a Syrian politician active during the late Ottoman period and during the First Syrian Republic. From 1932 to 1934, he served as Prime Minist ...
George Antonius
George Habib Antonius, CBE (hon.) ( ar, جورج حبيب أنطونيوس; October 9, 1891May 21, 1942) was a Lebanese author and diplomat who settled in Jerusalem. He was one of the first historians of Arab nationalism. Born in Deir al Qamar ...
, an author and historian. His sister, Maryam, married Shahin Makariyus who was a merchant and the founder of a magazine entitled '' Al Lataif''. Nimr died in 1951.