Egyptian Geographical Society
Founded by Khedive Ismail in 1875
Khadio Misr Ismail Pasha believes that the implementation of Grandpa Mohamed Ali Pasha project to build the modern Renaissance of Egypt comes through interest in science and openness to the world.
Hence, his early decision to establish the Egyptian Geographical Society in Cairo in the last quarter of the 19th century, which is still high in the scientific, national, national and global level, and its ethnographic museum remains an important record for the development of social and cultural life in Egypt and Africa.
In May 1875, Khedive Ismail issued a decree establishing the Khedive Geographical Society, similar to similar societies established in Europe and the Americas, until the nineteenth century was known as the era of the geographical societies established to follow up the African discoveries.
The decree of establishing the Khedive Geographical Society, the oldest geographical association ever outside Europe and the Americas, is to study the geography of all its branches, shed light on the African countries, organize their scouting efforts and take care of the various geographical scientific studies from Africa. In his decree, Khadio set aside 400 Egyptian pounds as an annual subsidy to the association.
The Geographical Society, based in a historic building in the center of Cairo, remained within a wall that included a number of prominent political and governmental buildings, including the headquarters of the People's Assembly and the Shura Council.
And has been in operation for more than a century, with different names called, in accordance with the change witnessed by the state system in Egypt.
In 1915 Sultan Hussein Kamel issued a decree to change its name to the Royal Geographical Society. In 1922, with the change of the state system from Sultanate to Kingdom called the Royal Geographical Society,
Finally, with the establishment of July 1952 and the proclamation of the Republic of 1953, its current name became the Egyptian Geographical Society. In 1958, with the interest of the concept of Arab nationalism, a new law was promulgated.