Land Bank of Egypt Stock Certificate

 These stock certificates were issued by the Land Bank of Egypt, a major banking institution founded in Cairo in 1904. The certificates are hand signed and feature a sheet of dividend coupons pasted to the bottom. Notably, the document is translated into three different languages: French, Arabic, and English.

The Scramble for Africa was the historical event responsible for these multilingual stock certificates, fitting into the broader wave of New Imperialism seen in the late 1800's. During this time, European claims in Africa jumped from covering around 10 percent of the African continent to a staggering 90 percent. This was largely a consequence of industrialization, which caused European nations to expand their borders in search of raw materials and cheap labor.

Though Egypt was technically controlled by the Ottoman Empire in 1905, the British Empire was the de facto ruler of Egypt through forceful military occupation from 1882 to 1956. The French also had a role in securing European control of Egypt, as they had been instrumental in building the Suez Canal in 1869. As a result these two colonial powers had immense influence in Egypt, leading to many official documents like stock certificates being written in French or English. 

The total size of each certificate is approximately 17 by 18 inches.

Each includes a Certificate of Authenticity.