Maltese of Egypt

The story and colourful history of the Family Pisani.

	Compiled \| Edited
Laurence Pisani, UK

Last Update: 01 April, 2008

There has been a strong European presence in Egypt for a number of years, culminating with the scattering of the "Maltese of Egypt" during the Suez crisis in the 1950's. My family were one of those that were forced from there homes to seek a new life in a strange country. Here I am keen to recount some of the aspects of that era.

I am keen to here stories from the time of the Maltese of Egypt so please do get in touch if you have anything you would like to share and/or have documented here.

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As Britain set out it's stall in North Africa, spreading its influence over Egypt, the situation facilitated a migratory flow from Malta to the eastern area of the Mediterranean. True figures are hard to come by and are often contradictory but it is thought that there were around 7,000 Maltese (or children born to Maltese parents) in Egypt by the end of the 19th Century. They were to be found all over the country, especially in cities like Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Rosetta and Port Said. The Maltese community in Egypt was a successful one and Maltese people were to be found in all walks of life. They had their own associations and they also had some of the earliest known publications issued by Maltese overseas.¹

Before 1939 it was thought that there were up to 20,000 in Lower Egypt with a considerable amount of families in Upper Egypt also. This number was greatly reduced by emigration and almost completely wiped out by expulsions in 1956 during the Suez canal crisis.²

¹ Adapted from "Maltese Migration: A Historical Perspective" by Rev. Fr Lawrence E. Attard O.P. Visit maltamigration.com for more info and articles
² Adapted from "Present Situation of Maltese of Egypt" by Ivan Magri-Overend, part of the "Conference of Leaders of Maltese Communities Overseas. Jan/Feb 2000"