The Inauguration of Mohamed Hassanein Heikal Exhibition at the BA
Posted on
As part of the BA ongoing projects to document the legacy of distinguished Egyptian figures, the exhibition “Mohamed Hassanein Heikal… A Life Journey” was inaugurated on Tuesday, 8 February 2022, in the BA Main Building. It is worth mentioning that Mrs. Hedayat Taymour, wife of the late great Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, had signed the final agreement with Dr. Moustafa Elfeki, Director of the BA, in 2019, to preserve Heikal’s library, belongings, and unique documents at the BA.
Dr. Elfeki stated that the BA has received a large and significant donation from Heikal’s family, most notably his personal library. A team from the BA has recreated this library to mirror the one at Heikal's Dokki apartment, and helped launch the first exhibition dedicated to him. The exhibition features nearly 4000 books, including the different editions of Heikal’s publications and other books ranging from literature, arts, and heritage, to politics and economics.
Elfeki mentioned that the exhibition comprises a collection of some of Heikal’s most important personal papers, namely his birth certificate, family card, a certificate of completion of primary education, and a photocopy of his handwritten will, together with a set of his diplomatic and personal passports. The exhibition also includes a group of Heikal’s personal belongings, such as his wristwatch, his ring, and a set of pens and medals, in addition to a number of personal portraits and press caricatures illustrated by the most prominent cartoonists.
Furthermore, the exhibition features an important collection of the renowned journalist’s possessions, including a number of rare historical maps of Egypt, documents handwritten by the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, drafts of Heikal’s books, as well as those of his popular column Bisarahah in Al-Ahram newspaper in his own handwriting, together with a set of historical daggers and a collection of his rarest photographs. Heikal’s “Wall of Memories” was also transferred to the BA, as it displays his meetings with several eminent international figures, such as Guevara, Tito, Khomeini, Khrushchev, Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Indira Gandhi, and Yasser Arafat, in addition to his photos with President Nasser and President Anwar Sadat and his meetings with Umm Kulthum, Mahmoud Fawzy, Tawfik El-Hakim, Abdel Halim Hafez, etc.