Papazians the Guardians of Precious Memories
Armenian-Egyptian watchmaker Papazian, whose store has been in Cairo for almost 120 years, is a rare museum-like place where old clocks and watches are beautifully restored, away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.
Traffic jam in Ataba Square, surrounded by street vendors. Tucked beneath the arcades of an old Haussmannian building, this simple shop is a time capsule of Cairo's rich, cosmopolitan history. By the turn of the nineteenth century, Egypt had become a popular destination for Armenians who specialized in fine crafts such as jewelry making, as well as a thriving European community that included Italians, Greeks, Jews, and French nationals.Estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 before Egypt's anti-monarchist revolution in 1952, the Armenian community has now dwindled to a few thousand.
In 1893, Nerses Papazian (died 1948) enlisted in the army and escaped on a jumping ship, not knowing his destination. He eventually reached Alexandria, on Egypt's Mediterranean coast. Ten years later, he opened a watch shop in Cairo that still bears his name.
He gained fame and attracted as clients several stars of the golden age of Egyptian cinema, such as Youssef Wahbi, Fouad El-Mohandes, and Abdul Abdelmoneim Ibrahim. The family of Egypt's last monarch, King Farouk, invited his father, Sarkis, to the palace to choose from a wide range of watches.
Later, when the Free Officers Movement, led by Egypt's first president, Gamal Abdul Nasser, overthrew the monarchy, the elites of the fledgling republic also embraced Papazian. After the revolution, there were army officers who came to visit and befriend Nerses's son, Sarkis, as they liked watches.
