Qut al-Qulub al-Damardashiyya (1899–1968) and Her Role in Education: Her Literary Salon as a Model (A Historical Study)

Abstract

Qut al-Qulub al-Damardashiyya is a unique female figure in the history of modern Egypt, and indeed in the history of the entire Arab East. The Arab world had never before known a woman who managed to overcome the various political, social, and cultural barriers imposed on society, and on women in particular, and establish a literary salon in her home. She was a woman passionate about knowledge and scholars, and her father's influence on her was evident. She accompanied him throughout his life and spent her youth immersed in Western culture. She was influenced by it and sought to stand against the outdated customs and traditions prevalent in the Levant, which were imposed on women in particular and society in general. With keen insight, she recognized the necessity of expression and the establishment of a cultural forum and literary salon where the elite of Egyptian society—intellectuals and prominent figures—could gather to converse, discuss, and explore other fields of knowledge.