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Abdelrahman Afandi Arafa | |
|---|---|
| عبد الرحمن أفندي عرفة | |
| Born | Borj Migheziel, Nile Delta, Egypt |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Occupation(s) | Omda (mayor), politician |
| Known for | Mayor of Borj Migheziel; Deputy in the Egyptian Majlis Shura al-Nuwwāb (1876–1879) |
Abdelrahman Afandi Arafa (Arabic: عبد الرحمن أفندي عرفة) was an Egyptian local notable and politician from Borj Migheziel in the Nile Delta who served as omda (village mayor/chief) of Borj Migheziel and represented parts of Gharbia province in the early Egyptian parliamentary assemblies (the Majlis Shura al-Nuwwāb) during the late 19th century, serving in the 1876–1879 parliamentary session.[1] He is remembered locally for his longstanding role as mayor and for building a family residence (often referred to locally as the “Arafa Palace”) on land behind the old mosque in Borj Migheziel.[2]
Early life and background
[edit]The Arafa family traces its roots in the Rashid/Borj Migheziel area of the Nile Delta. During the mid–late 19th century the region was administered within the directorates of the Delta. Contemporary topographical works such as ʿAlī Pasha Mubārak’s al-Khitat al-Tawfīqiyya recorded demographic and economic details for many Delta villages and provide the background context for rural life and administration in which local notables (omdahs) operated.[3]
Role as Omda (Mayor) of Borj Migheziel
[edit]Under administrative reforms during the reign of Khedive Ismaʿil (r. 1863–1879), villages were required to elect or appoint local heads (omdahs) responsible for local administration, tax collection, and liaising with provincial authorities. Abdelrahman Afandi Arafa was selected as the first omda of Borj Migheziel under these reforms and appears in local historical accounts as having served for many years into the turn of the 20th century.[2]
Over the next decade, the reputation of Abdelrahman Afandi Arafa grew. His ties with other mayors and district officers strengthened through these regular meetings in Tanta. During his travels, he built many connections with notables across the province. [4]
Parliamentary service (1876–1879)
[edit]In 1866 Khedive Ismaʿil established the Majlis Shura al-Nuwwāb (Council of Deputies), Egypt’s first modern representative assembly. The institution continued in several sessions through the 1870s and became an important forum for debating finance, administration, and the increasing foreign control over Egypt’s finances.[4]
In the provincial selection system, local mayors and notables elected deputies to represent the directorates. Contemporary records indicate that in 1876, during the third parliamentary session, Abdelrahman Afandi Arafa was chosen by the mayors of the Gharbia directorate to replace a departing deputy and thus served in the assembly during the 1876–1879 session.[5] The 1876 assembly even convened an extraordinary session in Tanta (coinciding with the annual moulid of Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi) to consider urgent fiscal measures.[4]
Historical context
[edit]Abdelrahman’s parliamentary term fell at a turbulent moment in Egyptian history: escalating debt, the imposition of dual financial control by British and French interests, and heated debates over taxation and administrative reform that preceded the ʿUrabi movement (1881–1882). Historians of the period note that the Majlis Shura al-Nuwwāb became a venue for landowners and local notables to voice complaints about financial mismanagement and foreign interference.[1]
Legacy
[edit]Locally, Abdelrahman Afandi Arafa is remembered as a long-serving omda of Borj Migheziel, the builder of a notable family residence on El-Marah land behind the old mosque, and an ancestor whose political role helped anchor the family’s status in the region.[2] Oral histories and local accounts emphasize his travels to Tanta and the network of relationships he built with other district mayors, which helped maintain the family’s social and economic standing into the 20th century.
References
[edit]- ^ a b ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Rāfʿī, ʿAṣr Ismāʿīl [The Era of Ismāʿīl], Vol. II, Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 1940.
- ^ a b c Ibrahim Mahmoud El-Shouki, [Local essay on Borj Migheziel ancestors], family archive.
- ^ ʿAlī Pasha Mubārak, al-Khitat al-Tawfīqiyya al-Jadīda, Cairo, 1886.
- ^ a b c Egyptian State Information Service (SIS), "History of the Shura Councils in Egypt".
- ^ Maḥāḍir Majlis Shura al-Nuwwāb [Session records of the Council of Deputies], ed. Dār al-Kutub, Cairo, 2011.