AGBU Egypt
ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION
ABOUT HMEM NUBAR CLUBS
A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
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ՀՄԸՄ’s first branches in Alexandria & Cairo
November 1918: Was the official founding date of ՀՄԸՄ. In Armenian: Հ.Մ.Ը.Մ. (ՀայՄարմնակրթականԸնդհանուրՄիութիւն), in English: “Armenian General Union for Physical Education”.
1922: The Central Board of Homenetmen in Istanbul announced its dissolution due to the persecutions announcing the transfer of activities to the Diaspora.
The first branch of Homenetmen in Egypt: ՀՄԸՄ Alexandria
In Egypt, Homenetmen’s founding member, Hayg Djizmedjian, established the first branch of Egypt in 1923: ՀՄԸՄ Alexandria. The basketball, tennis and table tennis teams practiced and played in 7 different rented clubs until the purchase of the headquarters in Shatby where the official opening was held on 14 October 1934.
The 2nd branch of Homenetmen in Egypt: ՀՄԸՄ Cairo founded in 1927
In 1926, a meeting was held at Ararat club with the project of forming a united club. The meeting failed to fulfill its purpose and the union was announced “impossible”. The story of Homenetmen, Puzant Torigian, p.259
After the failure of the 1926 meeting, the second Egypt branch of ՀՄԸՄ was established in April 1927 in Heliopolis. This branch would become the basis of the formation of ՀՄԸՄ’s Egypt district The Story of Homenetmen, Puzant Torigian.
On 14 April 1927, Hayg Djizmedjian continued his endeavor in Cairo and founded HMEM’s Heliopolis Branch next to Nubarian school. The club served the residents of Heliopolis, offering them many sports activities such as basketball, football, athletics and tennis.
In 1929, ՀՄԸՄ Heliopolis & ՀՄԸՄ Alexandria published ՀՄԸՄ Egypt’s “Ganonakir” with the authorization of the central ՀՄԸՄ in Paris.
From 1929 until their union with AGBU’s Nubar club, ՀՄԸՄ Heliopolis & ՀՄԸՄ Alexandria organized and participated with their own separate teams in the sports activities and tournaments of the other Egyptian Armenian community’s clubs such as Ararat, Gamk, Near East and Nubar.
Meanwhile, Parallel to the creation of ՀՄԸՄ Alex (1923) and Cairo (1927), founding members of ՀՄԸՄ established branches all around the World. Homenetmen started to expand worldwide, creating dozens of chapters which operated regionally & centrally, forming an internationally coordinated organisation.
However ՀՄԸՄ Cairo and Alexandria chose to remain unaffiliated to the international organisation.
On 16 August 1931, ՀՄԸՄ organized its first major event at the Nubrian school playground which was also the club’s premises since 1927.
The sports teams of ՀՄԸՄ started to participate in many matches and tournaments in different sports, among which Gamk Alexandria’s first Armenian championships from 17 to 18 June 1938.
The athletics, football and basketball teams participated also in matches and championships with local Egyptian, Greek, Jewish and Italian clubs.
After 1946 and the failure of the formation of a united Egyptian Armenian team to participate in the Egyptian league, in 1948, the ՀՄԸՄ Heliopolis and AGBU’s Nubar club of Shubra decided to unite their basketball and sports teams and participate as a joint team in all Armenian and Egyptian league competitions.
In 1958 they completed this sports union with the complete union of the two clubs and the creation of HMEM Nubar Cairo sports club and in 1959, the creation of HMEM Nubar Alexandria sports club.
June 1940: ՀՄԸՄ Heliopolis basketball match (players with ՀՄԸՄ logo) against US Navy. Hagop Exerdjian (capt) and Vartan Arakelian and Varoujan Exerdjian team members.
1941 ՀՄԸՄ Heliopolis Football players
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The Nubar club of Shoubra El Balad
In 1933, in order to have an organization serving Armenian youth in the Egyptian capital, AGBU hired a piece of land at the Shoubra neighborhood of Cairo, and founded the Nubar club which carried out numerous sports and social activities.
The club first formed a scouts’ team headed by Sarkis Bulbulian. The club then formed its sports teams of athletics, basketball, tennis and football players.
The official opening of the Nubar club in Shoubra was held on 19th January 1936, under the auspices of Arch. Mampre Sirounian and Cairo Governor Mahmoud Sedki Pasha.
The Heliopolis based HMEM club and the Shoubra based Nubar club participated separately in the 1st Pan-Armenian Olympic games organized by Gamk in Alexandria On 17 and 18 June 1939 along with HMEM Alex, Gamk, Near East, Ararat and Dork.
HMEM Cairo, HMEM Alex and Nubar club’s scouts’ movements
In 1933, HMEM Alexandria formed its scouts movement thanks to Hovhannes Chorlian and J. Ghazarian, The scouts movement was launched on 26th June 1936 with a camping in Sidi Bishr while the guides movement started in 1949.
The scouts movement of Nubar club was formed in 1936 and was supervised by Toumig Sedefdjian, Jirayr Mudjesemian and Jirayr Balabanyan.
Later in the forties in Cairo, the scouts’ movement of HMEM Heliopolis was formed and was supervised by Nubar Clubs scouts leaders Hovhannes Denkdjian and Bedros Balyan, while at the Nubar club of Shoubra it was run by Levon Kalebdjian and Hovhannes Der Bedrossian with Toumig Sedefdjian as overall regional scoutmaster. The fusion of the two clubs’ scouts movements was final in September 1961. Hayg Tellalian Maritsa Kasparian and Noubar Apakian were appointed to be in charge of the club’s scouts movement, followed by Aram Movsessian.
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The Union of the HMEM & Nubar Clubs of Cairo
After the failed attempt of 1946 to unify Egyptian Armenian basketball teams to participate in the Egyptian Federation basketball matches, HMEM Heliopolis and Shubra’s Nubar basketball teams start meetings to unify their basketball teams.
The complete union of the two basketball teams was signed in 1948. This was followed by the gradual union of the football, volleyball, athletics and tennis teams players. According this protocol of agreement, “A single sports union under the jurisdiction of AGBU Egypt will be formed and named HMEM Nubar. This entity will be having three sports grounds: HMEM Alex, HMEM Cairo and Nubar clubs”.
The union document states also that the united clubs will have no relation to any other Homenetmen branches and it will be solely under AGBU Egypt’s jurisdiction”
On 8 February 1954 a union agreement was signed between HMEM and Nubar clubs to unite in one single club.
The union request of the two clubs under AGBU’s jurisdiction was submitted to AGBU Egypt in June 1954 and then Central AGBU for approval.
In 1956, After the approval of Central AGBU, the land next to the Boghos Nubar mansion (around 6030 sq. meters) was bought by AGBU from Boghos Nubar’s heirs and was dedicated by AGBU to the HMEM Nubar Heliopolis club.
HMEM Nubar Cairo club
In 1958, the HMEM Heliopolis club, based so far in Nubarian school and the Nubar club based in Shoubra El Balad, moved both to the new HMEM Nubar Heliopolis club situated on Baron Empain street (Now El Orouba street).
From 18 October to 2 November 1958, HMEM Nubar Cairo organized, an inauguration celebration and a tournament in its newly founded HMEM Nubar Club at Baron Empain street, with pan-Armenian basketball games on the “Stepan Kesedjian” Cup.
The scouts movements
The scouts’ movement
of HMEM Heliopolis was formed in the forties and was supervised by Nubar Clubs scouts leaders Hovhannes Denkdjian and Bedros Balyan, while at the Nubar club of Shoubra it was run by Levon Kalebdjian and Hovhannes Der Bedrossian with Toumig Sedefdjian as overall regional scoutmaster. 
The fusion of the two clubs’ scouts movements was final in September 1961. Hayg Tellalian Maritsa Kasparian and Noubar Apakian were appointed to be in charge of the club’s scouts movement, followed by Aram Movsessian.
The scouts movement in the club stopped in the early seventies to restart in 1984 by Shoghig Garibian and Viken Djizmedjian until 1992. The scouts movement of HMEM Nubar Alexandria had an almost uninterrupted course since its creation in 1933 up till today.
HMEM Nubar Alexandria
In May 1958, AGBU bought a 2 floor villa & a playground of 1602 m2 at Omar Lotfi street . The existing building. built on 250 m2, would be used by both AGBU Alexandria and the newly formed HMEM Nubar Alexandria club for its athletics, basketball & scouts’ activities.
On 23 July 1960, HMEM Alexandria inaugurated its new club on 19 Prince Ibrahim street (Now Omar Lotfi street), under the auspices of Arch. Mampre Sirounian with the participation of AYA Lebanon and Aleppo teams and the Heliopolis HMEM Nubar club.
HMEM Nubar united team photos
1950s: HMEM and Nubar clubs united girls team with HMEM logos at Nubarian school (background)
1948: The newly united football team of HMEM and Nubar
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From 18 October to 2 November 1958, HMEM Nubar Cairo organized, an inauguration celebration and a tournament in its newly founded HMEM Nubar Club at Baron Empain street, with pan-Armenian basketball games on the “Stepan Kesedjian” Cup.
The 1959 united team of HMEM and Nubar in the new HMEM Nubar Cairo club
In May 1958, AGBU Alexandria bought a 2 floor villa & a playground of 1602 m2 at Omar Lotfi street. The existing building. built on 250 m2, would be used by both AGBU Alexandria and HMEM Nubar Alexandria, while the playground would be used for HMEM Nubar Alex’s athletics, basketball & scouts’ activities.
On 23 July 1960, HMEM Alexandria inaugurated its new club on 19 Prince Ibrahim street (Now Omar Lotfi street), under the auspices of Arch. Mampre Sirounian with the participation of AYA Lebanon and Aleppo teams and the Heliopolis HMEM Nubar club.
