Egypt’s Sisi honors Egyptian icons by naming new bridges after them

CAIRO – 12 August 2021: Three months after the passing of Egypt’s legendary actor Samir Ghanem, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directed to name the new bridge at the Mohamed Naguib axis in the East Cairo region after him.

Ghanem passed away in May 2021 at the age of 84, after he had tested positive for COVID-19, and had been admitted to the intensive care unit.

Ghanem is a distinguished Egyptian comedian and entertainer. He was a member of the stand-up comedy trio Tholathy Adwa'a El-Masrah alongside late comedians George Sidhom and El-Deif Ahmed.

After El-Deif Ahmed's death in 1970, Ghanem and Sidhom continued under the same name “Tholathy Adwa'a El-Masrah” until the 1980s.

In 2017, Ghanem received the Faten Hamama Honorary and Excellence Award, as testament to the vital role he has played in the film scene and his immense contribution to Egyptian cinema.

Ghanem’s filmography includes over 40 films, between 1964 and the present. Among Ghanem’s best known roles is the comic character of Fatota, a famous TV classic from the 1980s.

In a related context, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also ordered that the new bridge on the Gamal Abdel Nasser axis leading to the Fifth Settlement in New Cairo above the ring road east of the capital be named after Major General Omar Suleiman, the former vice president and former intelligence director.

In turn, the spokesman for the Egyptian presidency announced that President Sisi directed to name the new bridge that intersects at the top of the ring road on the Taha Hussein axis in the Fifth Settlement in New Cairo after the Egyptian Olympic champion Feryal Abdel Aziz, who won the gold medal in karate at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.