of Jerusalem. The schismatic Armenians who came to Egypt were given permission to practice their religion freely. Their patriarch's authority over the Armenian community's private and public affairs was decisive. The churches and those who served them were supported by the generosity of the faithful and the revenues deriving from charitable foundations. Mohamed Ali period The reign of Muhammad Ali of Egypt (1805–1849) witnessed strong migration streams of Armenians to Egypt. Mohamed Ali hired Armenians in government positions, and the Armenians were given great opportunities to contribute to the socioeconomic development of Egypt. The era of Mohamed Ali witnessed building Armenian churches in Egypt; one for the Armenian Orthodox and another one for the Armenian Catholics. The number of Armenians immigrants to Egypt around this time is estimated at 2,000. Boghos Youssufian (1768–1844) was an Armenian banker and businessman. In 1837, Muhammad Ali appointed Boghos as head of the Diwan Al-Tijara (bureau of commerce) and overseer of other financial affairs for Mohamed Ali. In 1876 the Armenian Nubar Nubarian (1825–1899) became the first Prime Minister in modern Egypt. Starting from the 19th century Egypt became one of the centers of Armenian political and cultural life. Many prominent Armenians of that period, including Komitas, Andranik and Martiros Sarian visited Egypt. The Armenian General Benevolent Union was founded in Cairo in 1906. The first Armenian film with Armenian subject called "Haykakan Sinema" was produced in 1912 in Cairo by Armenian-Egyptian publisher Vahan Zartarian. The film was premiered in Cairo on March 13, 1913. Post-genocide (1915-1952) The Armenian genocide started on 24 April 1915 with the deportation of Armenian intellectuals. The Armenian communities in Egypt received some percentage of the refugees and survivors of the massacres in Turkey. The total number of Armenians in Egypt in 1917 was 12,854 inhabitants. They increased to reach its peak in 1927 census data where their total number was 17,188 inhabitants most of whom were concentrated in Cairo and Alexandria. Some independent estimates push the number of Armenians in Egypt to 40,000 inhabitants at the beginning of year 1952. Armenian community life in Egypt revolved around the Armenian Apostolic Church and, to a lesser extent, the Armenian Catholic Church. Over 80% of the adult Armenian population in Egypt worked as skilled craftsmen or in administrative positions, wholesale, retail and services. A very small number of Armenians, only around 5 per cent, worked as unskilled laborers; even fewer