Mogamma

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The central administration building for all administrative matters Citizen / State, the Mogamma; opposite is Tahrir Square
Protest rallies on Tahrir Square on February 8, 2011, Mogamma on the left
Protests in front of the main administration building
Mogamma (night view)

The Mogamma or Mugamma , ( Arabic مجمع التحرير, DMG Muǧammaʿ at-Taḥrīr ) is the central administration building of Egypt , located in Cairo .

The building was built by the Soviet Union from 1950 and given to the Egyptian state as a gift. This promised to have a not inconsiderable influence on Egypt and its region. The Soviet Union expected a political alliance. In 1952 the building was completed and could be handed over. Ruler Muhammad Nagib and his lead military follower Gamal Abdel Nasser represented the Egyptian state upon receipt. In the same year the Egyptian revolution took place. In 1954 Nasser became president of the country, which is why he also became the building's identity figure.

The Mogamma is located in downtown Cairo, on Tahrir Square (Liberation Square ), which was newly built at the time , barely 400 meters from the right bank of the Nile .

function

The Mogamma is the main administrative building of a central state. This is where all the administrative threads come together. In addition to applying for driving licenses, foreign visas and building materials, tax returns and religious matters can be dealt with here. 18,000 civil servants are employed over 14 floors.

Structure and architecture

The structure and architecture of the Mogamma building were influenced by the Soviet architectural style of the time, albeit created by the Egyptian architect Kamal Ismail . The building is designed to be visually impressive. The plan stipulated that the building should contain the entire central government organization, but at the same time should not be wasted on space. The aim of the architectural style was to intimidate through the gigantic dimensions and the concave cut of the access side. During Nasser's presidency, authoritarian claims should be asserted, but also respect for the Soviet Union should be paid.

The Mogamma in the cinema

The Mogamma appears in various Egyptian films, the most famous being Terrorism and Kebab . It's a comedy in which the building epitomizes the bourgeois frustration with the state bureaucracy. The film reveals the insurmountable obstacles the bloated administrative apparatus poses to the individual resident of the country. A frustrated building applicant who mistakenly takes up the gun of a security guard is kept on record as a potential terrorist. The film uses the Mogamma as a symbol of all malfunctions ( corruption , bribery , loss of time) in the Egyptian state.

Mogamma today

Since 2005 there are plans to relocate the central administration. The Mogamma is suspected of being responsible for the high traffic jams that can be observed every day (especially on Tahrir Square) and should therefore be relocated in such a way that it finds its new home near the University of Cairo - and thus in a desert district.

On the other hand, there are good reasons against this project. In this way, inconveniences are brought into the field that would result in a relocation for the employees. Furthermore, it is feared that not inconsiderable compensation will be required for a move. In addition, architects who speak out against moving emphasize the prestigious location of the Mogamma and draw attention to the need to create better parks and gardens and to renovate the building. Ultimately, the view is expressed that a relocation of the central administration would trigger consequential problems with the accessibility for the common man.

Web links

Commons : Mogamma  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ El Hussini, Mohrez Mahmoud: Soviet-Egyptian relations from 1945 to 1985. Houndmills: Macmillan Pres, 1987.
  2. ^ Williams, Sasha: The Mogamma: Architectural Gem or Bureaucratic Oddity? Daily News Egypt. 10 July 2009.
  3. ^ Ziauddin Sardar : What Egyptian cinema can teach us .
  4. ^ Gordon, Joel: Hero of the Arab Nation. Oxford: One World, 2006.
  5. ↑ Kreissl, Barbara: River cruises on the Nile: On the way between Cairo and Abu Simbel .
  6. ↑ Cairo's bastion of bureaucracy is a victim of its own inefficiency. In: Washington Post.
  7. ^ Meyer, Karl E .: Riding the Cairo Carousel. Vol. 24, No. 4, 2008, pp. 108-112.

Coordinates: 30 ° 2 ′ 35.2 ″  N , 31 ° 14 ′ 6 ″  E