Rifa’a al-Tahtawi, the most prominent contributor to the renaissance of modern Egypt.. He was born in 1801 in the city of Tahta.. His lineage goes back to Imam Hussein.. Among his most famous books is Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Takhlees Barez." and"Egyptian approaches to the joys of modern literature.. Pictures

Rifa’a Rafi’ al-Tahtawi, one of the most prominent figures who contributed to the renaissance of modern Egypt during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha. Al-Tahtawi was born in the city of Tahta in Sohag Governorate, and left an indelible mark on the history of education, culture and thought in Egypt. Thanks to his progressive vision and his tireless work in the fields of translation and education, Al-Tahtawi became a symbol. A symbol of enlightenment and reform. In this investigation, we shed light on the life of Rifaa al-Tahtawi, his achievements, and his profound impact on Egyptian society.

Rifa’ah was born in 1801 in the city of Tahta, north of Sohag Governorate, and his lineage goes back to Imam Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib, while his mother descended from the Khazraj Ansari tribe. Since his childhood, Rifa’ah showed a passion for science, as he memorized the Holy Qur’an in his youth, and after the death of his father, he returned to Muscat. He turned his head to find great care in his maternal uncles. He studied under them the scientific texts circulating in his time, and he had a passion for expanding his jurisprudential and grammatical studies.

In 1817, Rifa’ah joined Al-Azhar Al-Sharif at the age of sixteen, where he received his education in various Islamic sciences, in addition to studying jurisprudence, grammar, and morphology. When he reached twenty-four years of age, he traveled to France in 1826 as part of an educational mission that included forty students, which he had sent Muhammad Ali Pasha to study modern European sciences.

After five years of living in France, Rifaa returned to Egypt in 1831, carrying a big dream and ambition to develop education in his country. He began working in translating Western scientific books in the medical school, then worked on developing the curricula in the natural sciences, establishing the translation school in 1835. , which later became the “Al-Alsun School,” and he was appointed its director.

In memory of Refa’a Al-Tahtawi, many places in Sohag Governorate bear his name, including Refa’a Al-Tahtawi Library in Sohag City, Refa’a Al-Tahtawi Square in front of Sohag University, and Refa’a Al-Tahtawi Street in Tahta, in addition to many statues of him in different places in the governorate. Among these statues there are A statue in Tahta Station Square, and another in front of Old Sohag University, in addition to a giant statue at the southern entrance to the city.

Rifa’a al-Tahtawi is famous for writing many valuable books, such as “Takhlees al-Ibriz fi Talikhs Barez” and “Curriculums of the Egyptian Hearts in the Delights of Modern Literature.” He also excelled in the field of translation, and enriched the Arab library with his translation of many Western works. One of his most prominent positions that demonstrated his courage was his refusal to transfer Egyptian antiquities abroad, especially the Karnak Obelisk that Muhammad Ali Pasha sent to France. Al-Tahtawi was the only one to condemn this act at a time when public opinion feared opposition to authority.

In 1834, Al-Tahtawi published a book about his trip to Paris, in which he strongly criticized the transfer of Egyptian antiquities abroad, considering it a clear act of plunder. He emphasized in his book that foreigners took these antiquities just as gold and jewelry were taken away. Despite the pressure, Rifaa continued his struggle against the plundering of Egyptian heritage, until a decree was issued in 1835 prohibiting the export of Egyptian antiquities abroad.

Rifa’a al-Tahtawi was one of the first to demand the preservation of Egyptian antiquities. He called for collecting all the antiquities that were discovered and presenting them to the Al-Alsun School, which was the nucleus for the later establishment of the Egyptian Museum. His warnings against exporting antiquities also put pressure on the government, which led to the issuance of a decree to protect Egyptian Heritage in 1835, and the establishment of an antiquities store in Cairo.

Refa’a Rafi’ al-Tahtawi remains a symbol of enlightenment and progress in Egypt, and a pioneer in the field of education, translation, and cultural preservation. Despite the challenges he faced, he left a legacy of enlightened thought that helped shape Egypt’s modern renaissance.