This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (March 2011)

Al-Ahram (Arabic: الأهرام‎; The Pyramids), founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya (The Egyptian Events, founded 1828). It is majority owned by the Egyptian government.

Given the large dialectical variety of the Arabic language, Al-Ahram is widely considered an influential source of writing style in Arabic. In 1950, the Middle East Institute described Al-Ahram as being to the Arabic-reading public within its area of distribution, "What The Times is to Englishmen and the New York Times to Americans"^[2], however it has often been accused of heavy influence and censorship by the Egyptian government.

In addition to the main edition published in Egypt, the paper publishes two other Arabic-language editions, one geared to the Arab World and the other aimed at an international audience, as well as editions in English and French.

History[link]

Al-Ahram was founded in 1875 by two Lebanese brothers, Beshara Takla and Saleem Takla, who were living at that time in Alexandria. It began as a weekly newspaper published every Saturday, but two months after the newspaper was founded, the Takla brothers turned it into a daily newspaper. The newspaper was distributed in Egypt and the Levant. In November 1899, Al-Ahram's headquarters was moved to Cairo. The religious innovators Muhammad Abduh and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani were early writers in the newspaper.

Editions[link]

Al-Ahram daily is the flagship of what is now the Al-Ahram publishing house, the largest in Egypt.^[3] Al-Ahram's headquarters is in Boulaq, Cairo. Its content was controlled by the now defunct Egyptian Ministry of Information.The pan-Arab Arabic-language edition of the paper, called Al Ahram Al Arabiya, is destined for readers in the Arab World and the Egyptian expatriates in Arab countries. It is published daily in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and distributed in Egypt and the Gulf Region.

An international Arabic-language edition called Al Ahram al Duwali has been published daily in London since 1984. It is printed in both London and Paris and is distributed throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Egypt.

Al-Ahram produces a continually updated news website in the English language at English.Ahram.org.eg, called Ahram Online. Two foreign-language weekly versions are also produced: the English Al-Ahram Weekly (founded in 1991) and the French Al-Ahram Hebdo.

Ownership and government influence[link]

This section is outdated. Please update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (June 2011)

Al-Ahram is owned by the Al-Ahram Foundation and is one of the largest circulating newspapers in the world.^[4] The Egyptian government owns a controlling share of the stocks of the paper and appoints the editors. As appointees of the state, little censorship is exercised over them; it is understood that they are loyal to the state.^[5] Al-Ahram has largely ignored and trivialized the opposition parties to the ruling National Democratic Party and has not published much direct criticism of the Mubarak government.^[6]

The Anti-Defamation League, in a review of Arab newspapers in 2005, writes that al-Ahram "is given substantial leeway" by the government so long as they avoid "certain 'taboos'."^[7] Reporters Without Borders, in their 2005 report on press freedom in Egypt, reported that editorials in many newspapers, including al-Ahram, have become increasingly critical of the National Democratic Party's control of the government and the corruption of the Mubarak regime.^[8] In an interview with Reporters Without Borders, Abdel Halim Qandil, editor of the weekly magazine Al-Arabi, said that the government interferes with independent operation of al-Ahram by controlling the printing presses and appointing the editors.^[8]

Photo controversy[link]

Al-Ahram generated controversy in September 2010 when an Egyptian blogger, Wael Khalil, revealed that the newspaper had altered a photo of Middle East leaders walking with United States President Barack Obama so that instead of Obama leading the group, Egyptian President Mubarak was placed in the front when he was actually walking in the rearmost position.^[9] Osama Saraya, Al-Ahram's editor-in-chief, defended the altered photo, stating that it was meant to underscore Egypt's leading role in the peace process: "The expressionist photo is... a brief, live and true expression of the prominent stance of President Mubarak in the Palestinian issue, his unique role in leading it before Washington or any other."^[10]

Notable writers[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

• Al-Ahram
• Edinburgh Middle East Report