Among Others – The Maltese in Egypt: Life, Crime and Death (1860s-1923)

When Britain assumed its ‘veiled protectorate’, Egypt became more attractive to the Maltese who, themselves, were British subjects in virtue of the earlier colonization of their island by Britain. Based upon the records of the British Consular Courts in Egypt, this book delves into the relationships, the lives and deaths, the successes and the failures of this community which made Egyptian centres their home.

Egypt was not the most popular migrant destination for the Maltese. Nevertheless, the opportunities for work (those connected to the Suez Canal among others), and the British quasi-colonial status of the country for most of the period covered by this book, attracted many Maltese to Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and other Egyptian centres. This book is based upon primary sources which have never been used by Maltese historians to date. It analyses in detail the lives of those migrants and their descendants. Particular attention is devoted to the family, the residence and the neighbourhood, the crimes they committed, their death and their succession strategies. Not all Maltese were financially successful; many languished at the bottom rungs of society. All, somehow or other, managed to make of Egypt their home and managed to adapt in a heterogeneous community that included migrants from different localities as well as Egyptians.