Abaza family Abaza Dynasty Country: Egypt

1. The Abaza Dynasty: A Biography
2. The Origins of the Abaza Dynasty
3. Political Involvement and Family Size
4. Abaza Family in Public Life

The Abaza Dynasty: A Biography

The Abaza dynasty is deeply rooted in Egyptian society and history. It has played a significant role in the formation and development of Egyptian cultural, economic, intellectual, and political life. The main focus of the Abaza family is the Egyptian province of Sharqia. The Abaza clan maintains connections with the Egyptian elite, including through marital ties. For example, one of the clan's women is married to the son of Mahmoud Ezzat, a member of the leadership of the religious-political association, the Muslim Brotherhood. Each generation of this family is filled with intellectuals, business magnates, and sensational writers. Among them, there are many holders of noble titles, including pashas, beys, and hanims, and some have been addressed as "his excellency" and "her excellency," including government ministers and diplomats. Except for the post-revolution parliament, there are usually several members of the Abaza family in the legislative body of Egypt's two parliament chambers. Currently, Egypt's chief prosecutor is married to a representative of the Abaza family. Furthermore, a significant amount of economic activity is carried out with the participation of the wealthiest Abaza families.

The Origins of the Abaza Dynasty

The Abaza dynasty originated in Abkhazia, on the southeastern coast of the Black Sea, not far from Russia and Georgia. Abkhazia is the homeland of the Abkhaz people, who are ethnically related to the Circassian people and speak the Abkhaz language. However, mixed marriages with Egyptian families, especially with representatives of the upper class, both in the past and present, give the right to consider the Abaza clan as having Egyptian origins. The Abaza were one of several Muslim ethnic groups living in the Russian Empire who decided to emigrate during the Muhajirism in the mid-19th century. However, some sources indicate that Egyptian Abazins emigrated 600-800 years ago. Many settlers headed to Turkey, but later set out again to settle in various Arab countries. In their new Arab home, the Abkhazians adopted (or received) the surname "Abaza."

Political Involvement and Family Size

The political activity of the dynasty began at least during the time of the Mamluk Ali Bey Al-Kabir, who was appointed as the first ruler of Lower Egypt. During the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha, historian Afaf Lutfi Sayyid-Marsot mentions the Abaza families among the Egyptian families, stating that they received their name in honor of the "beloved ancestress...or her place of birth." The Abaza family is estimated to have about 5000 members, although there is no confirmation of this. Furthermore, the common belief in Egypt that all members of the clan are extremely wealthy is mistaken, although most of them are at least in the upper-middle-class bracket and have higher incomes than the majority of the Egyptian population. Additionally, most of the feudal lands occupied by the Abaza were lost during the feudal reform carried out in the 1950s and 1960s under the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser. Prior to that, they also lost some land during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Abaza Family in Public Life

Today, many members of the Abaza family are actively involved in public life. Among them are individuals holding positions in the government, generals, animal and human rights activists, leading Egyptian sociologists, composers, philosophers of science, journalists, businessmen, and more. There is also a city named Abaza in Russia.