ABSTRACT
'Abd al-Rahman al-Rafi'i was a man of almost limitless energies. His thirty-eight detailed and well-documented historical monographs and countless articles make him the most prolific historian that Egypt has produced in modern times. Al-Rafi'i's unrelenting nationalism can also explain his political activity. He joined the National party, al-Hizb al-Watani, in the year it was founded and remained one of its leaders until its dissolution in 1952. Islamic unity and, after First World War, Nile Valley unity were, in any case, only two of many priorities for al-Rafi'i and the National party. With Faruq having left the country, and General Muhammad Nagib as Egypt's new leader, al-Rafi'i was prompted to compare the revolution of July 23 with the 'Orabi revolution. Although it may seem that al-Rafi'i had become an ardent supporter of Gamal Abdel Nasser overnight, as it were, there was in fact little that was not compatible with his prerevolutionary positions.
