The quarter of Shubra

This quarter was originally a piece of high land in the middle of the Nile covered with water. The word "Shubra" is Coptic and it means a hill or field.

In the Fatimide period, the eastern border of the Nile was near the present Ramsis Square where there was a great arsenal nearby. It happened that a big ship called "El-Phil" sank in this area where sands and dust piled on it till it appeared amidst the water. It became known as Island of "El-Phil". After that it was renamed Island of "Badran" after the building of the shrine of Sheikh Badran on it.

Finally, the island was connected to the mainland where Mohamed Ali Pasha built a palace on it. Gradually, people came to reside there till it becomes now the highest densely-populated area in Cairo.