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Egypt

 

Presentation:
version 2000

Presentatie:
versie 2000.

 

Number of versions: 7

Edition: March 1, 2000
Updated: July 17, 2011

Map of Egypt.The streets and stations of the Egyptian games are of the capital city Cairo
From Al Bedayah (The Start) on they are:

Shari el Malik Faisal (Koning Faisal Str.) - Shari Alaram (Pyramidestr.) - Mahatta El Giza (Station) - Shari 13 (Street nr. 13) - Shari 15 (Street nr. 15) - Shari 9 (Street nr. 9) - Al Segn (The Jail) - Shari Nawal - Shareaa Mohyy el din Abou el Ez - Shari Mesaddak - Mahatta Kobry el Lamoun ("Lemon bridge"-station) - Shari Shagaret el Dor - Shari Abou el Feda - Shari Hasan Sabry - Garaage/Entezar Maggaany (Garage/free parking) - Shari Shehab - Shari el Batal Ahmed Abd el Aziz - Shari Gameat al Dowal al Arabeya - Mahatta Mahtet Masr (Station) - Shari el Hegaz - Shari el Nuzha - Shari el Merghany - Ezzhab ela al Segn (Go to Jail) - Shari Sherief - Shari 26 Jolio (Str. of 26th of July) - Shari el Bostan - Mahatta Bab el Louk (Station) - Shari Soliman Pasha and Shari Qasr el Nil.

 

 

Egypte Ahga.Edition: MonopolE, without ref.nr.
Publisher: Meteor <<AHGA>> - ±1955
Dimensions of the box: ± 26 x 51 cm
The game:AHGA sticker on black back of thev board.
This edition with streets of Cairo (Pyramids Road - Souman Pacha Square - Kasr El Nil Street) and cities elswhere in Egypt (Guizeh - Abbassieh - Heliopolis) is in English only, but manufactured in Egypt all the same. The box is orange and provided with the same illustration as on the playside and the back of the gameboard.

The name of the game is MonopolE with the E of Egypt at the end? There are a few reasons to date this issue back to about 1955, viz:

 

  1. The Community Chest spaces without blue treasure chest, the stations without black Parker Brothers engine (but green electric trains heading to the left) and the through-and-through yellow Chance and pink Community Chest cards of this edition indicate a connection with the Waddingtons issues of before 1961.

  2. Like with the European sets of that era an illustration with houses underneath the word MonopolE is used.

  3. Like on the English gameboards the streetnames are mentioned twice on the spaces.

The illustrations of the board's corners maybe invented by the manufacturer. So there is a rather long red limousine aside a P-sign-on-a-post and you are directed to jail by a man with a green beret.
There are but 4 wooden tokens shaped like a bottle-with-ball shaped-cap. Also these are probably invented by the Egyptian manufacturer, because (to my knowledge) Waddingtons never practised such tokens.
 The green houses and red hotels are made of wood also. 
All prices are in L.E. = Egyptian Pound.

This set was sold on the ebay website in April 1999 for US$ 103.25.

 

 

Board of Arab version of MonopolE.Edition: Arab version of MonopolE from 1955
Publisher: Unknown Egytian copier - ca.1990
Dimentions of the box: 50 x 25 x 4 cm
The game:
This edition is owned by Ad Beckers - NL.

This is a very special edition because the inland printer, who is very eager to remain 
unknown, is bringing an  Arab version of a 35 years earlier published inland edition 
of an  English Monopoly-game on the market.
Apart from the quality of the game it resembles that much the 1955 edition it also could 
be the Arab publication of the <Ahga> company. But in that case he would certainly had 
written "Trade mark" correctly! So this is indeed an copy of an illegal publication Trade Marke - Made in Egypt.                     streets  match those on the English board.

The typical own interpretation of the <Ahga> company appears from the illustrations on a number of spaces on the game board, like:

The locomotives shown on the stations are green indeed, however they do not go anti-clockwhise.

The jailbird is behind but 2 bars.

The red car on the free Parking field is next to a Perking sign.

The policeman on the next corner space has no whistle.

The "engines illustration","so typical for Waddington editions, is now merely a "houses and bungalows picture".

It is not clear why there are 2 spaces for the Chance- and Community Chest cards on the game board's midfield.

Hotel Sheradon el Gazera, 1984.The misterious copyist has made no effort to introduce any own contribution in this game, except in the box:Explanation plus picture on the bottom of the box.

The red lid shows a photo compilation of Egyptian buidings and landmarks with a.o the Sheradon el
Gazera hotel in Cairo, built in 1984. This is the reason why the year of publication of this game was estimated 
on 1990. 

The red lid shows a photo compilation of Egyptian buidings and landmarks with a.o the Sheradon el
Gazera hotel in Cairo, built in 1984. This is the reason why the year of publication of this game was estimated 
on 1990. 

On the bottom of the box is a short explanation of the game, next to a back/white picture of a part of the game board. 
This phenomenon came not until the 80s in use with Parker/Hasbro and so the maker of this game must have seen it.

Op de blauwe rugzijde van het bord  is, naar analogie van de Engelse uitgave, ook weer een sticker geplakt met, in 
rode, Arabische karakters, Monopoly en daaronder het "huizen en bungalows plaatje".

Although there a 6 perwter tokens with this game they are most likely not the original ones supplied with this game because: the boat,  the schoeSticker on the boards backside. and 
the canon are original Hasbro tokens and will for sure not have been supplied by Hasbro, while the bodybuilder, with the letters TFRB, this wheelbarrow with a foot and a speedboot are not Monopoly tokens at all.
The banknotes resembles those of Parker/Hasbro, meaning that the value of the note is in a large ellipse in de middle, surrounded by 4 small little spaces one of which with a house, one with an engine and two showing the note's value. Of course without any reference to any patent.
The Chance- and Community Chest cards are yello and light pink.
The hollow 36 houses and 12 hotels are of plastic.
Both little are those little, white Chinese with black and red pips. 

 

 

Egyp1090.Edition: Monopoly The Original, ref. 1090
Publisher: Parker Bros./Nilco - Egypt - ±1990
Dimensions of the box: 26.0 x 50.8 cm
The game:
The manufacturer of this Arab game is Greek of origin with a plant in Egypt. Considering the fact that this set was bought in Saudi Arabia it might well be exported to a number of Arab countries.

This game is made "under licence", but it is not mentioned of whom. Therefore there are 2 influences noticeable, both of Parker Brothers (see Uncle Pennybags coming out the O enthusiastic again) and of Waddingtons. The execution of the solid game board (with red back) as well as the property cards is according to Parker Brothers, but with some influences of Waddingtons like the locomotives on the stations being green and pointing to the right. Also the names of the properties are mentioned twice on the spaces of the game board, like they are on the Waddingtons' sets. The fold of the board is parallel to side 1 and 3. Finally the Chance cards (= Al Haaz) have a blue back with the "locomotive pattern", whereas the Community Chest cards (= Al Khzaana Al Aamma) have a pink back. The banknotes have a Parker Brothers front with engine and house and on the back the Waddingtons' engine pattern again! The currency is LE = Egyptian pound.
The 10 tokens (car, thimble, wheelbarrow, canon, dog, boat, iron, shoe, horseman and hat) are of pewter and "made in Hong Kong". The green plastic houses do have a chimney whereas the red hotels have not. The inner box has a white plastic tray with 8 holes.

An almost identical game was made in Greece by the Greek works of Nilco!

The price of this set amounted in Saudi Arabia to SR 99.- (US$ 27.-) in April 1998

 Egyp, code nr..1151.

 

Edition:

Code No. 1151

Publisher: Bes Toys Co. S.A.E - Nasr City Cairo - ±1997
Dimensions of the box: 20.0 x 28.0 2.5 cm
The game:
The only English (especially for collectors?) in this Arab language game is on the bottom of the box. It tells us:

Luck Bank (Monopoly) is one of the oldest collective mental and international games which examines and promote the 
abilities and Trade & Project Management skills.

A joyful competition among a group of cars, whose drivers try to invest their capital in various Arab & European countries.

No. of players ranges from 2 to 6 and it is preferable to have more than 2 players.

Of the 42 spaces of the game board of soft carton are:

27 properties, designated by flags of a number of Arab and other countries, who are to be grouped in blocs of 2 - 3 or even 4 countries. 
The countries are from Start on: Sudan - Lebanon - Jordan - Syria - Iraq - Saudi Arabia - Kuwait - Egypt - Sudan - Yemen - United Arab Emirates - Oman - Libya - Tunisia - Algeria - Morocco - Mauritania - Quatar - France - Italy - England - Germany - USA - Russia (oude, communistishe vlag) - Japan - Spanje and CANADA. (Why would SudanN appear twice?).

3 fuelstations.

4 corners: Start - 3 BES club cards (so that has to do with the manufacturer) - 1 Bus Company (?) card - Jail.

On the midfield of the game board are 3 decks of 15 cards of which cards are to be taken on arrival on 1 of the 8 spaces. The expression of this comic version (?) of Uncle Pennybags tells you to which deck you are to go: Your Luck - Profit or Loss!

The inner box for the component parts consists but of a tray folded of white carton that has to be shoved in a casing, together with the folded game board.

There is playing with:

6 tokens consisting of a car printed on a piece of carton of 4 x 3.4 cm that is to be put in a white plastic stand.

1 white mini-die of 8 x 8 x 8 mm.

180 stocks (in the shape of green "banknotes") with the denominations of 1 - 5 - 10 - 20 - 50 - 100 500 - 1000 en 2000.

12 hotels, shaped as pink triangular forms of 10 mm high.

12 market places, shaped as black cylinders of 12 mm high.

12 parking garages, shaped as small, flat, blue discs with a diameter of 22 mm.

 Egypt, code 4046.

 

Edition:

Code No. 4046

Publisher: Bes Toys Co. S.A.E - Nasr City Cairo - ±1997
Dimensions of the box: 26.0 x 50.4 x 6.0 cm
The game:
This is obviously the luxury edition of the game because the nice flexible (!) game board with red back is in a (not very strong) box with fine lid. In the inner box is an insert of thin, white plastic with holes for the equipment.

The property and "Chance" cards are made of strong carton instead of thin, glossy paper.

The 6 tokens are metal cars now painted in different colors.

The one die is yellow with black pips. The dimensions are more userfriendly again: 16 x 16 x 16 mm.

The stocks are made of more smooth paper.

The hotels became blue, plastic pawns.

The market places are yellow cylinders now.

The parking garages became big, red discs (diam. 31 mm, 5 mm thick) with print BES.

The price of this set amounted in Saudi Arabia to SR 48 (US$ 13.-) in January 1999.

 

Bank el Haz, 1997.Edition: Bank Elhaz, without ref.no.
Publisher: Inland made? - ±1997
Dimensions of the box: 16.5 x 27 x 3,5 cm
of the game board, unfolded: 36.5 x 48 cm
The game:
Nothing tells us in which period this game has been issued. Only the rim of the cover shows the name BANK ELHAZ (= Luck Bank), but as well on top of the picture on the lid as of the building on the centrefield of the game board in is in Arabic only. Also the rules and the texts on the cards and property deeds are in Arabic only.
It is remarkable that the lid shows a different game board (with map of Egypt) to that supplied with this set! So there must be at least one other inland monopoly-like game!

Both parts of the pink back of the rectangular game board of solid cardboard show the name of the game in Arabic. So this board does not fit in the box! Why did they make it that way?
Of the 34 spaces in total 3 have a balance, symbol of the Court cards (15 pieces) having their (pink) space near the corner with the bus. Also in this monopoly-like game the red ? (in a yellow field) stands for the Chance cards (15 pieces) who have their (blue) space near GO. The maximum of 6 players drive around in (plastic) cars again, however this time only through countries (like Quatar, Kuwait, Algeria and Tunisia) and cities (like Casablanca, Beirut, Riad, Bagdad, Alexandria and Assuan) of North Africa and the Near East.
There are:

8 red, plastic hotels

7 blue cardboard triangles: the markets?

8 mahogany colored cardboard squares: the garages?

8 different banknotes, the dimensions of which are 46 x 80 mm.

The banknotes are, like the Rules, printed on very poor paper. There is again only one die played with in this game.

 

Egypte1998Edition: Monopoly - LONDON, without ref.no.
Publisher: Inland manufacture - ±1998
Dimensions of the box: 24.8 x 49.2 cm
The game:
This edition in a red-white-red box (= Waddingtons), suggests to be "authorized", but there is no manufacturer mentioned! It can however with certainty been said that this issue is from after 1996 because the colorfull backsides of the Chance- and Community Chest cards are almost (!) the same as those of the European editions from Hasbro, with ref. 14535 of 1996 and 1997. However … without Uncle Pennybags-coming-out-the-O in the word MONOPOLY and the 12-pointed star around the ? and the treasure chest instead of an ellipse. Moreover, these cards are not made of strong carton.

Although the game board has the streets of LONDON the rest of the classification is according to Parker Brothers, so with: the black engines on the stations, the treasure chest on the Community Chest spaces and the gold-ring-with-diamond on the Super Tax space. So again an issue in which the elements of both varieties are incorporated! However, the manufacturer has added some personal changes, like:

  1. the rather thin word GO on top of the red start arrow

  2. the exchange of the Chance and Community Chest spaces

  3. the text of the Chance field being put inside the space, next to a purple ?

  4. Monopoly is without frame in dark blue characters on the centrefield of the board instead of in a red bar.

The game board is made of solid cardboard and is forced folded. It is probably because of that why it slightly curls outwards. Its back is dark blue.
The banknotes in the denominations of £ 1 – 5 – 10 – 20 – 50 - 100 and 500 are according to the manufacturer's own design and show at least 2 cloverleafs on each note. The 6 tokens of heavy metal are the boat, car, dog, canon, wheelbarrow and rider-on-horse. The green plastic houses and red hotels clearly have a roof edge but no chimney. The small (11x11x11 mm) dice are white with black pips.
The bottom of the innerbox shows "the general Monopoly story" in English and Arabic, illustrated with figures from the game board.

The game is bilingual: English and Arabic.

 

Your comments and/or additional informations will be highly appreciated! Only then this catalogue remains interesting! So please do send a message to:
Uw opmerkingen en/of aanvullingen worden zeer op prijs gesteld! Zo blijft deze catalogus actueel! Neemt u dan ook gaarne contact op met:

albert c. veldhuis
Zoetermeer - The Netherlands
e-mail: worldofmonopoly@gmail.com
(Nederlands,,Deutsch,Français,Magyar)