Dr. Gamal Hemdan
(1928-1993)

Dr. Gamal Hemdan was not merely an eminent geographer, but indeed a unique example of the serious and fully dedicated academician and scholar.

For almost forty years, Dr. Hemdan dedicated himself, in almost hermit-like, but positive seclusion, to intensive meditation, research and prolific writing.

An encyclopaedic intellectual of a rare calibre, Dr. Hemdan invested his wealth of knowledge in the service of a broad spectrum of social sciences, along with his major specialty: geography.

His works had a far-reaching impact on the entire field of social sciences that was almost tantamount to a revolution in geography. With a unique literary style of his own, Dr. Hemdan turned the science of geography into a universal, encyclopaedic social science. Taking geography as an access road to other branches, he skilfully used this multi-disciplinary approach to study Egypt’s location, history, culture and future.

Birth: Hemdan was born in the Qalyubiyah Governorate on Feb. 2, 1928. His father, a teacher of Arabic, had been discharged from al-Azhar educational institution on charges of participating in the Egyptian Revolution of 1919.

At the age of eight, he joined the primary school. He then moved to the prestigious Tawfiqiyya secondary school, which had a nationwide fame for its high educational standards and sports facilities. There, he became aware of his love and innate talent for geography.

Having completed his secondary education in 1944, with distinction, ranking sixth on the list of graduates nationwide, he joined the Department of Geography at the Cairo University, Faculty of Arts. At the age of twenty, he obtained his B.A with Distinction. He was soon appointed a staff member at the Faculty of Arts, where he was granted a scholarship in the UK to obtain his MA and PhD degrees .There; he studied under the eminent English geographer, Professor Austen Miller.

Hemdan’s M.A thesis entitled “Population of the Nile Mid Delta; Past and Present" was highly commended by his professor. He believed that the thesis was eligible to a PhD. In 1951, Hemdan returned to Egypt to collect his scientific data. And in 1953, he obtained his PhD.

Back in Cairo, he was appointed teacher at the Department of Geography, Cairo University's Faculty of Arts. However, Hemdan realized that many changes were taking place in the Egyptian society, following the 1952 Revolution.

He was looking forward to positively contribute to Egypt's development but discovered that he could not cope with the negative social aspects affecting his academic career. Thus he withdrew, in silence from public life and willingly abandoned his academic career. Although Hemdan lived, physically, in voluntary almost hermit-like seclusion, he was most productive as a thinker and scholar. Apparently, this self-imposed positive solitude provided him with the right atmosphere for uninterrupted and free meditation, research and innovation.

The works produced during his solitude vividly show his exceptional talent, not only as a geographer but also as a social scientist.

He thought of geography as a science, an art and a philosophy. He advocated what he called “Living Geography”; i.e. every day geography. If adequately defined, the pattern, nature, conditions and laws relating to life in that place will be thoroughly identified.

Hemdan’s natural talent for painting and calligraphy and his liking of music and singing were instrumental to his exceptional excellence in geography.

Hemdan’s outstanding intellectual and geographical achievements constituted the most important accomplishment of the Egyptian geographical school, which highlight Egypt’s genius of time and place, of geography and history. In his works, he adopted a multi-disciplinary approach, encompassing geography, history, sociology, politics and culture.

Hemdan's legacy includes writings in both Arabic and English, seventeen books in Arabic and eight in English, in addition to several articles in Arabic, published in newspapers, magazines and other publications.

He had a futuristic outlook and predicted several events, which, he thought, were compatible or incompatible with the facts of geography. The most paramount was his prediction of the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

His encyclopaedic work: "The Personality of Egypt", the most outstanding of his intellectual achievements, was the product of ten years of dedicated efforts, during which he used 245 Arabic and 691 foreign reference books in several languages.

In this prestigious book, he elaborately expounded the constituent factors making-up the Egyptian personality since the early days of the Pharaohs. To him, Egypt was the central chapter of the book of geography. Egypt, to Hemdan was a unique non-repetitive geographical phenomenon. Apart from the “Description of Egypt”, which appeared in print during the French Expedition, Hemdan’s book "The Personality of Egypt" remains an unprecedented scientific masterpiece.

Awards:

State Incentive Prize in Arts and Letters, 1959
State Prize of Meritin Social Science, 1986
Scientific Criticism Award , by the State of Kuwait, 1986
Order of Merit of the First Class for Science and Arts, 1988

In line with his full dedication to science and his almost ascetic attitude to formalities, he refused to break away from his self-imposed solitude. Apart from the first prize awarded to him in 1959, he would not to receive any other prize.

In April 17, 1993, Dr. Gamal Hemdan died, leaving behind a huge scientific legacy, which would rightly place him as an outstanding landmark in the modern Egyptian enlightening movement.

Arabic Books

Studies on the Arab World; Cairo, 1958
Patterns of the Environment, Cairo, 1958
Study on Urban Geography; Cairo, 1958
The Arab City, Cairo, 1964 Arab Oil, Cairo, 1964
Colonization and Liberation in the Arab World, Cairo, 1964
Anthropology of Jews, Cairo, 1967
Personality of Egypt, Dar el-Helal Publications, Cairo, 1967
The Strategy of Colonization and Liberation, Cairo, 1978
Introduction to "Cairo" " by Desmond Stewart, translated by Yehya Haqqi, 1969
The Contemporary Islamic World, Cairo, 1971
Between Europe and Asia: A Study in the Geographic Counterparts, Cairo, 1972
The Arab Republic of Libya: A Study in Geopolitics, Cairo 1973 6th of October War in the International Strategy, Cairo, 1974 The Suez Canal, Cairo, 1975 New Africa, Cairo, 1975
Personality of Egypt: A Study in the Genius of the Place, four volumes, Cairo, 1975-84

English Books

Population of the Nile Mid-Delta, Past and Present, Reading University, June 1953, 2 volumes Khartoum

Study of a City, Geog. Review, 1956 Studies in Egyptian Ubranism, Cairo, 1960 Evolution of Irrigation and Agriculture in Egypt A History of Land Use in Arid Regions, Ed . L. Dubley Stamp UNESCO, Paris, 1961

Egypt: The Land and the People, A Guide Book to Geology, 1962 Pattern of Medieval Urbanism in Arab World, Geog. Review, April 1962

A Political Map of the New Africa, Geog. Review October 1963 The Four Dimensions of Egypt

Back