Cairo removes Ottoman name amid Egypt-Turkey strife
As tensions escalate between Egypt and Turkey, Cairo governorate has decided to rename Selim I street, named for the "grim" Ottoman sultan who conquered Egypt.
CAIRO — Cairo Gov. Atef Abdel Hamid announced Feb. 6 that the city will rename Selim I Street in eastern Cairo's El Zaytoun district. The new name is yet unknown, but it is unlikely to be that of another Ottoman sultan.
Selim I was the ninth ruler of the Ottoman Empire and the 74th Caliph of Islam who conquered Egypt in 1517 in the battle of Ridaniya. Also called Selim the Grim, he was known as much for his military success as for his rage that spared neither his ministers nor the residents of the cities he conquered. It is believed that the street was named between 1805 and 1848, during the rule of Muhammad Ali Pasha, who decreed that streets would take rulers' names.
