Dr. Sarah Fathalla Gaara
ForschungsinstitutScholar in Residence
E-Mail s.fathalla-gaara@deutsches-museum.de
E-Mail sarah.fathallah@art.asu.edu.eg
Zeitraum: 1 April bis 30. Juni
Colonial and Postcolonial Power Engineering in Egypt: Maadi Solar Station as Case Study
This research investigates “Maadi Solar Station”, designed by the American engineer Frank Shuman (1862-1918) and inaugurated on 12 July 1913 by “Sun Power Company”, whose representatives in Egypt were Lambert and Ralli. The station was built to apply innovative solar power technology in irrigating the agricultural lands. The study examines the history and the significance of this station within the context of both agricultural and power engineering in the early twentieth century, as one of the earliest ambitious solar power projects globally. In addition, the research seeks to understand why the station was established in Maadi and why the Belgians Lambert and Ralli were engaged in this project, and how this experiment is linked to Egypt's modernization and the colonial infrastructure policy. It also sheds light on a neglected chapter of Egypt’s modern history, which is the transnational exchange of solar technology between Egypt and Europe.
Furthermore, the research is expected to reveal the afterlife of the Maadi situation after twenty years of its operation, through the archival collection of the German engineer Wilhelm Maier (1883-1957) at the Deutsches Museum (München), which includes photographic documents of the station dating to 1939. Investigating Maier’s collection might also reveal more about the relationship between Egypt and Germany in the field of power engineering.
Short CV
Lecturer, Tourist Guidance Department, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Education
2020-2025 | PhD in Arts, Ain Shams University, Egypt. PhD. thesis under the title “The Influence of the Egyptian Cultural Heritage on the Dynasty of Muhammed Ali 1805-1952” |
2015-2019
| MA of Arts, Ain Shams University, Egypt. A submitted thesis under the title “The Ceremonies and the Protocols in Egypt from 1805 to 1952”. |
2009-2013 | Bachelor of Arts, Ain Shams University, Egypt. |
Research and Work Experiences
| 2025-Present | Lecturer, Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University |
| 2022-2025 | TEI and XML encoding in the project “Digital Cairo” a sub-project of “La fabrique du Caire moderne” (https://sites.duke.edu/cairemoderne/digital-cairo-xml-tei/) |
| 2019-2025 | Assistant Lecturer, Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University |
| 2019 - 2021 | Research Assistant in the project of “La fabrique du Caire moderne” |
| 2014 -2019 | Teaching Assistant, Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University |
Publications
Peer-reviewed Article: “The Influence of the Ancient Egyptian Heritage on the Artifacts of the Members of Muḥammad ʿAlī Dynasty” Annals of Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, no.4 (submitted but not published yet)