Al Amrikiyya Area – A Story of Two Worlds Coming Together
Strolling around 6th October city’s “Al Amrikiyya Area” is like stepping into a little Damascus, hustling and bustling in the heart of Egypt. Life takes on a distinctive Syrian character that is manifest everywhere from storefronts to the hawkers who dwell on the sidewalks.
Situated between the 6th October City Administration Building and “El Hossary” Mosque, Al Amrikiyya is a vibrant mixed-use platform of restaurants and small shops, which are operated mainly by Syrians and Egyptians.

Mohamed is one of several Syrian business owners in AlAmrikiyya. He runs a mobile phone store together with his brother and in parallel, studies Business Administration at Cairo University. © UNHCR Egypt/Mostafa Baibers.
Mohammad Mamdouh, a 24-year-old Syrian, came to Egypt in 2012 after losing his home to the war in Syria. Together with his brother, he opened the first Syrian mobile store in Al Amrikiyya to support their parents and family. “I am very comfortable living here. I am studying Business Administration at Cairo University and was lucky to be enrolled like a local Egyptian back in 2014,” he said.
At Al-Amrikiyya, a diverse community has come to form the core of its social fabric. This feature extends to swathes of Egypt’s 6th October City, which is one of the main urban settlements hosting refugees as well as Syrian business people and workers. It has also become a major economic hub and meeting point.

Ali has been working for couple of years in Al Amrikiyya as a waiter and witnessed a lot of changes in the area throughout the years. © UNHCR Egypt/Mostafa Baibers.
Ali Emad, an Egyptian who works in a coffee shop at Al Amrikiyya, steps into his neighboring Syrian restaurant to fetch some change. “Syrians are such a warm-hearted community with whom I interact on a daily basis,” he said. As someone who has worked in the area for several years now, he watched it grow, especially since it became a marketplace for both Syrians and Egyptians. “I saw the development of Al Amrikiyya and I am sure there is more it can offer if it gets upgraded,” he added.
Keen on supporting refugees and the host community and mindful of the centrality of the area to all stakeholders, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Egypt, has decided to fund an in-depth study to upgrade the area before its implementation by the city administration.
The study, undertaken in collaboration with Takween Integrated Community Development, ushered in an area-based development plan to improve Al-Amrikiyya’s physical infrastructure and devise socio-economic support schemes with the different workers in the hub.
The plan was well-received by the 6th October city administration, the apparatus responsible for its execution, in a move which attests to the long-standing cooperation between UNHCR and the Egyptian government.
UNHCR has been operating in Egypt since 1954. Throughout the years, it has supported refugees and asylum-seekers in urban settings residing mostly in Cairo and Alexandria with lesser numbers in other northern governorates. As of 31 August 2018, 235,397 are registered with UNHCR in Egypt. They come from 58 countries including Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Iraq, Yemen and others.
Page 2 of 9
-
UNHCR, League of Arab States Organize a Workshop on “International Law of Asylum and Refugee Protection”
12 Sep 2022UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in cooperation with the Social Affairs Sector, the Department of Refugees, Expatriates and Migration Affairs at the League of Arab States (LAS), organized a capacity-development workshop on “International Law of Asylum and Refugee Protection” for the staff of the General Secretariat of the League on […]
-
UNHCR celebrated World Refugee Day in the presence of the Minister of Social Solidarity
21 Jun 2022UNHCR co-organized an event, hosted by the Office of International Cooperation of the Swiss Embassy, to celebrate World Refugee Day.
-
Arab Strategy on Access to Public Health Services in Asylum and Displacement Contexts to Be Launched
21 Jun 2022The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (Social Affairs Sector, Department of Health and Humanitarian Affairs), in cooperation and coordination with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, are organizing a launch event for the Arab strategy on Access to Public Health Services in the context of asylum and displacement […]
-
Joint Statement on World Refugee Day
20 Jun 2022By the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Egypt, IFC, ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF On this World Refugee Day, we want to honor refugees and asylum-seekers around the world and particularly in Egypt, and recognize the efforts made by the Government of Egypt and its partners in support of […]
-
Joint Community Event Organized in Cairo to Mark World Refugee Day
20 Jun 2022UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, UNFPA, the UN Population Fund, and WHO, the World Health Organization commemorated World Refugee Day on June 19, 2022 with a joint community event under the theme “Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety,” in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and […]
-
UNHCR and AlSadu Society Organize a Training Program on the Art of Sadu Weaving in Alexandria
14 Jun 2022UNHCR, In cooperation with AlSadu Society, organized a five-day training programme for 15 refugee women from South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
-
UNHCR, Ministry of Health and Population Inaugurate New Mental Health Clinics in Cairo and Alexandria
12 Jun 2022Six new outpatient mental health clinics and inpatient wards were established with UNHCR’s support at Abbasiya Hospital.
-
“Every Gift Counts” with the Participation of Eyad Nassar Along with Other Celebrities
13 Apr 2022UNHCR launched an Egyptian version of the regional Ramadan Campaign “Every Gift Counts” to support the most vulnerable refugee and asylum-seeker families throughout the Arab world during the month of Ramadan.
-
UNHCR Participates in Diarna Exhibition for the Second Year in a Row
13 Apr 2022A selected number of skilled refugees and asylum-seekers displayed the handicrafts that connect them with the cultures of their countries of origin at the Diarna Exhbition for the second year in a row.
-
UNHCR, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Organize a Workshop on Asylum Law
14 Mar 2022Cairo, 14 March 2022 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized a two-day joint roundtable – the third of its nature – in support of the drafting process of the Asylum Law in Egypt on 13 – 14 March 2022. The roundtable was jointly […]