For more than a century, Cairo’s Café Riche has served as a gathering place for Egypt’s politicians, writers, artists, and revolutionaries, earning a unique place in the country’s cultural and political history. Opened in the early 20th century, the café has hosted influential figures including Naguib Mahfouz, Umm Kulthum, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Anwar Sadat, while its hidden basement once housed a secret printing press used during the 1919 revolution. Now, a development company wants to convert the building into a boutique hotel as part of a broader effort to revitalize Khedival Cairo’s historic district. Under the plan, the ground floor of the building will retain its café function, but upper floors will house a hotel, theater, and restaurant. However, this has sparked a debate, with some questioning whether the café will retain its distinctive identity and cultural role alongside tourist accommodations.
Culture Custodian