The Lost Industrial Utopia by Salwa Rashad

Public Story

The Lost Industrial Utopia

Copyright Salwa Rashad 2024

Date of Work Feb 2019 - Feb 2019

Updated Apr 2019

Location El Quseir, egypt

Topics Architecture, Arts, Documentary, Historical, Landscape, Photography, Still life, Travel

It was from this city, El Quseir and its port that lays along the Red Sea and dates back to 5000 years old, that Hatshepsut started her first expedition heading south to The Kingdom Of Punt. Now it is Somalia and Eritrea, many ships filled with gifts and presents from king of Egypt and returning back with incense trees, spices, gold, ivory and animals. the Historical city of El Quseir was an important port in the Greek period too and was named the White Port, was also considered a major point during the Ottoman era for pilgrims travelling from different countries in north Africa heading to Mecca, some settled in El Quseir, and some of the holy men died en route to or from Mecca and were buried in Domed tombs. It also was a significant trade route for spices from India and wheat that Egypt exported to El Hijaz. In 1912 the Egyptian Italian Red Sea Company built the first phosphate factory under the name of The Red Sea Mining Company, which revived the city after years of stagnation. the city’s architecture is significant with it’s French, British mixed with Ottoman style with wooden balconies and large terraces. the company was build with the Italian style like a compound, a full complete city inside the bigger city with around 38 buildings inside. It varied between an Orthodox church named after Saint Barbara dedicated to the miners to look after them, a hotel for nuns and guests, an Italian school for children of both Egyptian and Italian workers, preparing the Egyptian children to work in the administration field in the company, buildings for the families of the workers, small museum that have a collection of mummified birds, fishes and minerals, a hospital, a restaurant for the workers, an energy supplier centre for the company and buildings for other purposes. all has a unique style that gave the company and El Quseir a very significant style. The company stopped in 2000 and the owner was changed and until now no one knows what is the future of this treasure ..