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Al-Ahram

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This article is about the newspaper, for other uses see Al-Ahram (disambiguation).
الأهرام Al-Ahram
TypeDaily newspaper
PublisherAl-Ahram publishing house
Founded1875
HeadquartersBoulaq, Cairo
Circulation1,000,000 daily
1,200,000 Fridays[1]
Websitehttp://www.ahram.org.eg/

Al-Ahram (Arabic: الأهرام, literally "The Pyramids"), founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after Al-Waqae'a Al-Masreya ("The Egyptian Events", founded 1828). It is majority owned by the Egyptian government.

Given the large dialectical variety of the Arabic language, Al-Ahram is widely considered an influential source of writing style in Arabic. The Middle East Institute describes Al-Ahram in 1950 as being to the Arabic-reading public within its area of distribution, "What the London Times is to Englishmen and the New York Times to Americans."[2]

In addition to the main edition published in Egypt, the paper publishes two other Arabic-language editions, one geared to the Arab World and the other aimed at an international audience, as well as editions in English and French.

History

Al-Ahram was founded in 1875 by two Lebanese brothers, Beshara Taqla and Saleem Taqla, who were living at that time in Alexandria. It began as a weekly newspaper published every Saturday, but two months after the newspaper was founded, the Taqla brothers turned it into a daily newspaper. The newspaper was distributed in Egypt and the Levant. In November 1899, Al-Ahram's headquarters was moved to Cairo. The religious scholars Muhammad Abduh and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani were early writers in the newspaper.

Editions

Al-Ahram daily is the flagship of what is now the Al-Ahram publishing house, the largest in Egypt.[3] Al-Ahram's headquarters is in Boulaq, Cairo. Its content is controlled by the Egyptian Ministry of Information.The pan-Arab Arabic-language edition of the paper, called Al Ahram Al Arabiya, is destined for readers in the Arab World and the Egyptian expatriates in Arab countries. It is published daily in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and distributed in Egypt and the Persian Gulf.

An international Arabic-language edition called Al Ahram al Duwali has been published daily in London since 1984. It is printed in both London and Paris and is distributed throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Egypt.

Two foreign-language versions are also produced: the English Al-Ahram Weekly (founded in 1991) and the French Al-Ahram Hebdo.

Ownership and government influence

Al-Ahram is owned by the Al-Ahram Foundation and is one of the largest circulating newspapers in the world.[4] The Egyptian government owns a controlling share of the stocks of the paper and appoints the editors. As appointees of the state, little censorship is exercised over them; it is understood that they are loyal to the state.[5] Al-Ahram has largely ignored and trivialized the opposition parties to the ruling National Democratic Party and has not published much direct criticism of the Mubarak government.[6]

The Anti-Defamation League, in a review of Arab newspapers in 2005, writes that Al-Ahram "is given substantial leeway" by the government so long as they avoid "certain 'taboos'."[7] Reporters Without Borders, in their 2005 report on press freedom in Egypt, reported that editorials in many newspapers, including al-Ahram, have become increasingly critical of the the National Democratic Party's control of the government and the corruption of the Mubarak regime.[8] In an interview with Reporters Without Borders, Abdel Halim Qandil, editor of the weekly magazine Al-Arabi, said that the government interferes with independent operation of al-Azhar[clarification needed] by controlling the printing presses and appointing the editors.[8]

Notable writers

References

  1. ^ Drost, 1991, pp. 139-140.
  2. ^ Middle East Institute, 1950, p. 155.
  3. ^ Islam, 2002, p. 277.
  4. ^ http://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/eg/306/5036/13021
  5. ^ http://www.pressreference.com/Co-Fa/Egypt.html
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4199054.stm
  7. ^ Arab Media Review: Index of Arab Newspapers Anti-Defamation League, February 14, 2005
  8. ^ a b Egypt - 2005 annual report, Reporters Without Borders, January 2005

Bibliography

  • Islam, Roumeen (2002). The right to tell: the role of mass media in economic development (Illustrated ed.). World Bank Publications. ISBN 0821352032, 9780821352038. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • The Middle East journal, Volume 4. Washington, D.C.: Middle East Institute. 1950.
  • Drost, Harry (1991). The World's news media: a comprehensive reference guide. Longman.
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