Abaza Family
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Abaza_Family".

The Abaza clan, "deeply rooted in Egyptian society and... in the history of the country"1 is a popular, well-known and influential aristocratic Egyptian family that plays a powerful and long-standing role in Egyptian economic, intellectual and political life. Their main stronghold is the Sharqia Governorate and Beheira Governorate in the Nile Delta.

The family is noted for producing a large number of noble Pashas, Beks/Beys, Hanims, Saheb or Sahebet Ezza, Mqama, Saada, Maaly and Oussma, intellectuals, politicians, business people and men of letters. It is considered the largest extended family in Egypt. In addition several living Abazas hold the title 'His or Her Excellency', for example serving ministers in government or serving diplomats.

Currently there are at least six Abaza members of either of Egypt's two Houses of Parliament, two Ministers in government, an opposition party leader, and the Chief District Attorney of Cairo is also an Abaza.

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Historical Overview

Perhaps the largest Noble entity in Egypt, the Abaza Family originated in Abazinia, a region in north Georgia bordering the Caucasus mountains. However, intermarriage into native Egyptian families, specifically native upper class families, was and remains common for Abazas thus ensuring native Egyptian ancestry for the entire clan.

The Abazins were one of several Muslim ethnic groups living in the Russian Empire who emigrated during the Muhajir (Caucasus) in the mid-19th century, although some sources indicate that the Egyptian Abazas emigrated 600-800 years ago. Many moved to Turkey, but later emigrated again and settled in various Arab countries. In their new Arab home, the Abazins took – or were given – the last name "Abaza".

Afaf Lutfi Sayyid-Marsot in the study, Egypt in the Reign of Muhammad Ali, makes mention of a traditional belief amongst the Egyptian Abaza Family that they were named after a "beloved grandmother...or her place of birth". Family elders sat on the Majlis created by Ibrahim Pasha, "uhda" (or royal endowments) of villages and land were obtained by the Family and "the Abaza flourished" (pp.123-124).

During the accession of the young King Farouk, "the Abaza family had solicited palace authorities to permit the royal train to stop briefly in their village so that the king could partake in refreshments offered in a large, magnificently ornamented tent they had erected in the train station." [1] (Al-Ahram Weekly).

Members of the Egyptian Abaza clan consider themselves a family, and are categorized as a 'family' or 'clan' in the country in which they are well-known.

There is also a town in Russia named Abaza (town).

Notable Egyptian Abaza

Living Figures


Deceased Figures


There was also a noble Russian-Greek Abaza Family, of which Alexander Abaza was a member.

External links

References

  1. ^ 1 http://www.bibalex.org/alexcinema/actors/Rushdi_Abaza.html
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