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19-453: The café has its origins in 1908, but was not named Café Riche until it was bought in 1914 by Frenchman Henry Recine. Shortly after acquiring the café however, Recine sold it to Michael Nicoapolits from Greece and returned to France. Nicoapolits added theater to the café, bringing in such performers as Monira il-Mahdiyya and Umm Kulthum . On November 4, 1942, Nicoapolits sold the café to George Basile Avayianos, who focused his efforts on adding

38-406: A consistent presence throughout it. His role as an idealistic lover has led the word "Romeo" to become a synonym for a passionate male lover in various languages. Although often treated as such, it is not clear that "Montague" is a surname in the modern sense. The earliest tale bearing a resemblance to Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet is Xenophon of Ephesus ' Ephesiaca , whose heroic figure

57-508: A long professional life. In 1978, a film titled Soltanet El-Tarab about her life was produced and directed by Hasan El-Emam, starring Sherifa Fadel. Monirah El-Mahdiyyah was honoured by the King of Morocco and President of Tunisia and by the President of Turkey Kemal Atatürk — She was the only artist that he admired. Romeo Montague Romeo Montague (Italian: Romeo Montecchi )

76-472: A man. Her first recording was in 1906, under the name Sett Monirah (Lady Monirah).She sang Arabic musical repertoire and also Arab adaptations of popular Italian operas, her performances became very popular and increasingly demanded by the public. She interpreted some male roles as Romeo and Mark Antony . This was a period when only women from the non-Muslim minorities performed openly onstage in Egypt. She

95-479: A place to hold meetings. The political novelist even mentions the café is several of his books and received inspiration for characters from his fellow customers. Café Riche was closed for almost a decade in the 1990s. A court case by the Egyptian government was brought against the café about a public passage the café occupied, causing a temporary close. The earthquake of October 1992 caused considerable damage and

114-473: A restaurant onto the café. In 1962 Avayianos gave the café to Abdel Malek Michael Salib, who became the first native Egyptian to own the café. This change in ownership marked a change in the country too, as Egyptians were starting to take back their country's economic identity from the prominent foreigners who previously controlled many successful businesses. Those who frequented the café were mostly of higher socio-economic status. Up until World War II , most of

133-465: Is a Habrocomes. The character of Romeo is also similar to that of Pyramus in Ovid 's Metamorphoses , a youth who is unable to meet the object of his affection due to an ancient family quarrel, and later kills himself due to mistakenly believing her to have been dead. Although it is unlikely that Shakespeare directly borrowed from Ovid while writing Romeo and Juliet , the story was likely an influence on

152-400: Is known, Shakespeare's main source is thought to be Arthur Brooke 's English verse translation of a French translation of a 1554 adaptation by Matteo Bandello . Although both Salernitana and da Porto claimed that their stories had a historical basis, there is little evidence that this is the case. Romeo, an only child like Juliet, is one of the most important characters of the play and has

171-515: Is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare 's tragedy Romeo and Juliet . The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague , he secretly loves and marries Juliet , a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest named Friar Laurence . Forced into exile after slaying Juliet's cousin, Tybalt , in a duel , Romeo dies by suicide upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death. The character's origins can be traced as far back as Pyramus , who appears in Ovid 's Metamorphoses , but

190-544: The 1919 revolution against the British rule of Egypt . The café was the site of an assassination attempt on the Egyptian Prime Minister on December 19, 1919. Gamal Abdel Nasser was known to frequent the café while planning his 1952 overthrow of King Farouk . Naguib Mahfouz was one of the most famous intellectuals to frequent the café, so much that Malak would close the café on Fridays to give Mahfouz

209-409: The café struggled to rebuild. The decline in popularity of the café has been credited to the rise of digital media. Formal meeting places like cafés have taken a backseat to online platforms and groups. Café Riche was a hub for large literary and intellectual groups to meet, but also youth in general. With the emergence of large shopping malls, small businesses are no longer the major gathering place for

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228-429: The customers were foreigners living in the country. As ownership changed to native Egyptians, so did the clientele. Cairo became the home to many newspapers, magazines, and law offices helped build up the client base of the café. Its proximity to Soliman-Pasha Square (present Talaat Harb Square) and Tahrir Square made the café a prime location for gatherings. Revolutionaries would meet at the café to plan strategies during

247-407: The first modern incarnation of Romeo is Mariotto in the 33rd of Masuccio Salernitano 's Il Novellino (1476). This story was reworked in 1524 by Luigi da Porto as Giulietta e Romeo (published posthumously in 1531). Da Porto named the character Romeo Montecchi, and the storyline is nearly the same as Shakespeare's adaptation. Since no 16th-century direct English translation of Giulietta e Romeo

266-403: The success of the film La Coquette in 1935, enabled her to build a network of fans from different backgrounds, both social and geographical, and a theatre now bears her name. She sang for kings and leaders in national celebrations such as "National Day of Turkey" in front of Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk . Monirah El-Mahdiyyah died on March 12, 1965, at the age of eighty years after

285-452: The theatre of Aziz Eid, known for encouraging and developing the talents of his actors, actors who have among them many future stars such as Fatma Roshdi . This is where she acquired her acting technique and her lyrical talent as an actress and singer. She also was part of the ensemble of Salama Hegazi and when he became ill, she sang his role in Salah al-Din al-Ayubi, while dressed onstage as

304-487: The younger generation, as it once was. Yet, during the 2011 revolution it served as a refuge to the many protesters in the city. 30°02′49″N 31°14′18″E  /  30.047002°N 31.238271°E  / 30.047002; 31.238271 Mounira El Mahdeya Monira Elmahdiyya (born Zakiyya Hesin Mansur , Egyptian Arabic : منيره المهديه ) also known by the nicknames "Soltanet Eltarab" (= Queen of Singing),

323-481: Was a trailblazer and not afraid to express nationalist sentiments where she performed. When she first performed as an actress in a dramatic-musical role in the Arabic Comedy Troupe of Aziz Eid in 1915, it was the first time a Muslim woman performed onstage as an actress. She was later followed in the field by such actresses as Bahiga Hafez , Fatma Roshdi and Aziza Amir . Between 1917 and 1925, she

342-484: Was an Egyptian singer and actress. She was considered to be the leading Egyptian singer in the 1920s. Mounira Elmahdiyya was born as Zakiyya Hesin Mansur in 1885. Her birthplace is said to be either Zagazig or Alexandria in Egypt. She studied in a French nuns' school. She studied in a French nuns’ school, after which she began her career in singing in local clubs in the Azbakiyyah entertainment area. She joined

361-444: Was the owner-producer-artistic director of the first female owned musical theatre company in Egypt. Her performances marked the increasingly popularity of new and lighter song formats, for instance, the taqtuqa , which she sang for women and theater audiences. However, Mounira al-Mahdiya was also proficient in the singing of adwar and qasa'id which she sang for male audiences. The great popularity of Mounira Elmahdiyya, intensified by

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