Childhood and Early Career
Hassan Allam was born in the city of Port Said and subsequently moved to the Upper Egyptian town of Al Minya with his family. His father owned a small shop that sold construction materials including tiles and ceramics imported from Great Britain. Allam attended primary school but did not continue his education, joining his father's business instead.
In 1923 at the age of 19, he immigrated to Cairo where he formed a small informal contracting outfit. His career did not really take off until, in 1936, he founded Hassan Mohammed Allam & Co. for General Contracting - a limited partnership company. Despite having received no formal education in the field of construction, his managerial and technical expertise were substantial. He was also widely popular with construction labourers and engineers.
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