Saleem Takla
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saleem Takla was born in Kfarshima, Lebanon in 1849[2] to Khalil and Nada Takla.[3] The Takla family was Melkite Greek Catholic. When he was 12, he was sent to school in Beirut, first to a grade school organized by Cornelius Van Alen Van Dyck and then to the National School in Abey founded by Butrus al-Bustani.[3] During that time, the 1860 Druze–Maronite conflict dramatically impacted the region. After completing his studies, Takla taught at the Patriarchal College in Beirut founded by Gregory II Youssef.[3]
Moving to Alexandria and Founding Al-Ahram
In 1874 Takla moved to Alexandria, Egypt. During this period, Alexandria was “both a bridgehead of European colonialism and a crucible of Egyptian national integration and identity.”[4]: 3 More people were becoming literate, thanks in part to the development of new schools in the city, and conflicts and crises throughout the Middle East piqued public interest in world events.[4]: 151 Furthermore, Alexandria was becoming a center of the news and publishing businesses, with many European news services, printing presses, and publishers setting up shop in the city. A large population of translators in the city, many of them Syro-Lebanese (like Takla), further aided the newspaper business by allowing Arabic newspapers to better report on international events using sources in other languages.[4]: 152 Finally, Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt from 1863 to 1879, and his successors patronized several Alexandria newspapers, which certainly aided the development of the industry.[4]: 154–155
As Syro-Lebanese immigrants, the Takla brothers benefited from belonging to a community recognized for “their knowledge of languages,” familiarity “with the practice of Arabic journalism,” and “close connections with Egypt's political and commercial élite.” In the newspaper business, “offering news of events in Syria and in the Syrian community” gave new papers access to a niche market, specifically the Syrian community in Alexandria.[4]: 153
Despite all of these advantages, the Takla brothers “moved cautiously.” They “spent seven months attempting to find subscribers, and even printed up a facsimile copy for promotional purposes, before actually going to press.”[5]: 128 Finally, in 1876, the Takla brothers began publishing al-Ahram (meaning the Pyramids), “for a long time the most prestigious daily in the Arab world”.[4]: 151 The next year, in 1877, they began publishing Sada al-Ahram (meaning Echo of the Pyramids), followed by al-Waqt (meaning the Time) in 1879 and al-Ahwal (the Conditions) in 1882.[4]: 153
