27 Years After His Death
The BA Launches the Biggest Project Documenting the Life of Anwar El-Sadat
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Alexandria—
During the coming months, 27 years after the death of Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, the BA will launch the biggest website to document the life of late President, and will also inaugurate a museum exhibiting a rare collection of his personal belongings.
This project was undertaken under the auspices of HE Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the BA, who, in collaboration with Mrs. Gihan El- Sadat, gave full support to the project since its inception. On behalf of the family of the late President, Mrs. Gihan El-Sadat donated to the Library a rare collection of his personal belongings, such as his military uniform, his medals and decorations; his personal library comprising his favorite books together with a number of rare books; and several personal portraits.
The collection donated by the wife of the late President also includes his walking cane, his famous pipe, the gilbab and abaya (traditional rural costume) customarily worn by him whenever he was in Meet-Abul-Kom (his birthplace), a collection of rare photographs exhibited for the first time in the BA, a bust of Anwar Sadat, as well as three Islamic, Christian and Jewish lanterns which were a gift from the Mayor of Jerusalem to Sadat during his historic visit to the city in 1977.
The exhibition will also include a recording of the Holy Quran in the voice of President Sadat, a short story partly written in his own hand, and partly dictated to Mrs. Gihan Sadat, as well as a rare collection of video recordings.
Mr. Fawzi Abdel Hafez, Personal Assistant to President Sadat, is one of the main donors to this project. He contributed a large number of photographs and documents as well as a rare collection of documentary films.
Egypt State Information Service, The News Sector of The Radio and Television Union, Akhbar Al-Yom and Dar Al-Hilal all contributed towards providing the website with archived material. The BA was also able to obtain additional archived collections from inside and outside Egypt.
Two years ago the BA formed a team of expert researchers specializing in the history of the seventies, to produce a website for the late President Anwar El-Sadat, recording his life history since birth and up to his assassination. So far, 12,000 photographs have been digitized, along with a vast collection of documents and rare films showing meetings that were not broadcast in Egypt; and rare audio collections.
The website will comprise an overview of the social, economic and political history of Egypt during the reign of President El-Sadat.