Café Riche
Café Riche () which opened in 1908 at 17th of Talaat Harb Street, is one of the most renowned landmarks in downtown Cairo. At various times a meeting place for intellectuals and revolutionaries, the café witnessed many historically significant events over the 20th century. It is said to be where King Farouk saw his second wife, Nariman Sadek; where the perpetrator of the 1919 failed assassination attempt on Egypt's last Coptic Prime Minister, Youssef Wahba Pacha lay in wait for his target; and where several members of the resistance during the 1919 revolution met the basement to organize their activities and print their flyers. Patrons included the political novelist Naguib Mahfouz and the then-future president Gamal Abdel Nasser. History The café has its origins in 1908, but was not named Café Riche until it was bought in 1914 by Frenchman Henry Recine. Shortly after acquiring the café however, Recine sold it to Michael Nicoapolits from Greece and returned to France. Nicoapolits added theater to the café, bringing in such performers as Monira il-Mahdiyya and Umm Kulthum. On November 4, 1942, Nicoapolits sold the café to George Basile Avayianos, who focused his efforts on adding a restaurant onto the café. In