Check out the very first mall in Egypt: Egypt’s first mall was once the place to see and be seen, this Masrawy video shows (watch, runtime: 02:36). Founded in 1923, the Simon Arzt mall in Port Said was the place to go for fashionable imported clothes, people-watching, occasional summertime sunbathing for women on the roof, and emergency stocking purchases (employees could be woken up at any time of the night if a steamship arrived from overseas, one woman recalls). Taking its name from a Turkish-Jewish tobacco merchant, Simon Arzt remained a great historical attraction even after closing in the early 90s. Now, developments are underway by a company that wants to restore it to its former glory.

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