Majallat al-Zuhur al-Misriyya
- Author died
- 1367 AH
- Editions
- Dar Sader (reproduced from: Matba'at al-Ma'arif on Faggala Street - Egypt)
Majallat al-Zuhur al-Misriyya (The Egyptian Flowers Magazine) is an Egyptian monthly literary periodical founded in Cairo by the Lebanese journalist Antun al-Jamil and Shaykh Amin Taqi al-Din, published between 1910 and 1913 CE (1328–1331 AH) .
Establishment and Administration
The magazine released its inaugural issue on March 1, 1910, following Antun al-Jamil's emigration from Beirut to Egypt . It was established with the explicit objective of creating a literary bond among writers and poets across the Arab world—including Egypt, the Levant, Iraq, and North Africa—and serving as a shared platform for intellectual exchange, while deliberately remaining detached from political partisanship and sectarian agendas .
In June 1911 (issue 15), the magazine was reorganized into an administrative partnership under the name al-Jamil, Taqi al-Din wa-Shurakauhum (al-Jamil, Taqi al-Din & Partners) . Under this arrangement, Shaykh Amin Taqi al-Din oversaw internal administration and correspondence, while Antun al-Jamil directed editorial responsibilities . The journal continued publication for four years until it ceased in late 1913, when wartime circumstances and restrictions surrounding the outbreak of World War I prompted al-Jamil to suspend publication and enter government service .
Content and Contributors
The magazine covered a wide range of literary genres and recurring features, including:
- Contemporary poetry, classical Arabic literary selections, and poetic exchanges (al-mutarahat al-shi'riyya) between prominent poets .
- Critical and cultural essays, literary correspondence, and translations introducing major European literary works and figures .
- Biographical profiles and obituaries (tarajim al-rahilin) of deceased intellectual, political, and literary figures, such as the poet Imam al-Abd and the leader of the Urabi Revolt .
- Regular editorial and commentary columns, notably "Azhar wa-Ashwak" (Flowers and Thorns), as well as portraits and photographic plates of celebrated authors .
- Expanded special editions, such as a major double issue dedicated to "Egypt and Syria" (Misr wa-Suriyya), highlighting cultural ties, landscapes, and literary works connecting both regions .
A prominent roster of contemporary Arab poets and prose authors published their work in the periodical, including Ahmad Shawqi, Hafiz Ibrahim, Isma'il Sabri, Khalil Mutran, Wali al-Din Yakan, Mahmud Sami al-Barudi, Shakib Arslan, Ahmad Muharram, Bishara al-Khuri, Dawud Ammun, and Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti .
Reception and Subsequent Anthologies
The magazine was praised by contemporary periodicals across Egypt, Syria, Iraq, North Africa, and the Americas for its literary quality and non-partisan tone . Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat described Majallat al-Zuhur as a literary publication refined by religion, drawing a thematic parallel between its character and that of his later journal, al-Risala .
Al-Jamil later compiled a selection of the poems published in the journal into an anthology titled Mukhtarat al-Zuhur (Selections from al-Zuhur) . The anthology opened with entries for major poets that included biographical sketches authored by either Antun al-Jamil or Khalil Mutran, alongside photographic portraits of the contributors .
Publication History
The magazine was originally printed in Cairo at Matba'at al-Ma'arif on Faggala Street and ran across four annual volumes covering 1910 to 1913, which were subsequently preserved and republished in four volumes .
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