… say that it [the theatre] punishes and improves people’s morals. […] On the screen that comes down at the end of the play, there is a Latin saying that may be translated as follows: amusement improves the morals ʼ (al-Tahtawi, An Imam in … described the architecture of these theatres as magnificent houses surmounted by a great dome, with several floors, displaying the same wonder and appreciation, that he showed towards the city’s architecture, including squares, 6 bridges … promoter of the translation movement, which was taking shape at that time and he was keenly aware that translations played a pivotal role in spreading European thought: in 1863, he and his collaborators were charged by the khedivè …