Description and research notes
Complete 1931 Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo correspondence set consisting of three original components: a printed bank letterhead with bilingual Arabic–French text, the matching addressed postal cover bearing a King Fuad 5m franking and Cairo postal strikes, and the full Konto–Korrent account statement issued to the same client on the same date. Taken together, these documents preserve the complete administrative chain between the German overseas bank's Cairo branch and one of its Egyptian clients during the interwar period.
The cover is printed with the bank’s full trilingual masthead (German, Arabic, French) and carries a typed address visible through the orange window panel. The 5m King Fuad stamp is tied by a clear Cairo circular date stamp, confirming transmission from the branch. The reverse shows intact flap structure and paper stock consistent with period Deutsche Orientbank stationery.
The internal bank letter is printed on high-quality cream stock with the Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Zweigniederlassung Kairo masthead, including the historic notation referencing its predecessor institution, Banque Hassan Said Pacha. The body is typed in parallel French and Arabic, informing the client of their closing balance as of 28 February 1931 and requesting confirmation. The director’s signature appears at bottom in heavy dip-pen ink intersecting the printed line.
The Konto–Korrent account statement is printed on ledger-format paper with a full multi-column matrix for debits, credits, balances, valuta, and numbering references. All entries for February 1931 are handwritten in fountain-pen ink, including cheque numbers, remittances, transfers, and the daily evolving balance. Clerk annotations in both Arabic and French match the distinctive handwriting style used by Deutsche Orientbank’s Cairo branch at the time.
Deutsche Orientbank was one of the most important German financial institutions operating abroad before World War II, with branches across the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa. Its Cairo office played a significant role in trade finance, project support, and foreign exchange operations during Egypt’s interwar economic expansion, particularly in sectors tied to import–export commerce and infrastructure. Most administrative paper generated by the bank was destroyed during political upheavals, branch closures, and post-war consolidations, leaving only isolated survivals.
A complete three-piece correspondence set—cover, letter, and the exact matching Konto–Korrent ledger—is exceptionally rare. Most surviving Orientbank materials are fragmentary or separated from their postal elements. This unified 1931 set, preserved fully intact and tied to a single client transaction, stands as a Tier-6 reference artifact documenting the German–Egyptian banking presence in Cairo during the interwar period and the operational workflow of a now-vanished financial institution.