Anniversary of Safiyya Zaghloul 'Mother of Egyptians' (1878-1946)
Egypt, People, 1/13/2000

Safiyya Zaghloul, commonly known as the "Mother of Egyptians", is the wife of nationalist leader of the 1919 Revolution; Saad Zaghloul.

The daughter of Mustafa Fahmi Pasha, twice the Prime Minister of Egypt under the reign of khedive Abbas and Khedive Tawifiq, Safiyya Zaghloul was born in 1878 to a wealthy family. She imbibed the revolutionary spirit and leadership skills from her husband.

When Saad Zaghloul was exiled, on March 16, 1919, she was at the very forefront of a demonstration of Egyptian women, in protest against British acts of repression. When asked to dissuade her husband from pursuing the course of resistance against British colonialism she said: "Should the continuation of struggle be dependent on Saad's continued exile, this is what I wish." She opened her residence for the Wafd (Delegation) Party to hold its meetings. She even urged the masses to hold fast to resistance against the British.

During the revolution, she nursed and gave first aid to demonstrators injured by the British forces.

Her residence, commonly known as the "House of the Nation", was the herb of going revolutionaries, seeking her support.

Having become a source of concern for the British authorities in Egypt, they approved to her request on her husband who was then moved to Gibraltar (Jebel Tareq). They had earlier turned down a previous request submitted on her part to join her husband, when he was exiled in Malta and Seychelles.

Safiyya Zaghloul was also a leader of Egyptian feminist movement. She instigated women to boycott British goods as a form of resistance against British occupation.

Through her endeavors, women became for the first time in Egypt, involved in political life. Under her leadership, the women's committee of the Wafd Party played an active role in Egyptian political life.

She pursued her political activity even after the death of her husband in 1927. In view of her generous contribution to Egyptian political life, she was nicknamed as "Mother of Egyptian".

Some historians refer, in this respect, to a statement by Zaghloul himself to his wife, "If we have got no children, this nation as a whole represents your sons."

Bayt el-Umma (House of the Nation)

Saad Zaghloul's residence was the meeting place for the Egyptian Wafd Party and the leaders of the 1919 Revolution. Hence comes the name of "House of the Nation".

It was Mrs. Zaghloul's will that this house be turned into a public museum, and so it was. The museum was opened to the public for the first time in 1956.

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