Taha Hussein (15 November 1889 – 28 October 1973) was a seminal Egyptian intellectual, writer, and educational reformer known as the "Dean of Arabic Literature". Despite losing his sight at age two, he became the first PhD graduate of Cairo University, and later became the first rector of the University of Alexandria. He was a leader of the Nahda (Arab Renaissance), advocating for modern education, secularism, and critical thought, and a proponent of Egyptian Nationalism. As Minister of Education (1950–1952), he famously championed free, universal education. In the 1920s and 1930s, Hussein made contributions to Al Ahram, where he drew attention to the exploitation and misrepresentation of Egyptian heritage by colonial powers, and called for the restitution of Egyptian belongings as anchors of national identity.
Future of Culture in Egypt