The El-Emam family, sometimes spelled el-Imam (Egyptian Arabic: عائلة الإمام, آل الإمام; Coptic: Ⲉⲗⲓ̀ⲙⲏⲙ), is an Egyptian noble family which has had prominent members since the Abbasid era, through the Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk era.
The founder of the family is Sheikh al-Islam Abu Uday el-Masry bin el-Emam (903 - May 31, 991).
[10][11][12] In the eras that followed the death of Abu Uday el-Masry ibn el-Emam, members of the family rose to many high positions, most of which were in the judiciary, specifically in the Mamluk era, which witnessed the golden age of the el-Emam's family, through their assuming most of the deputies and judicial positions in Egypt.
Prince Alaa el-Din bin el-Emam held 5 major positions at the same time (supervisor of Special, Amir al-Hajj, supervisor of Endowments, supervisor of the Armies, Secret Writer of the Sultanate),[1][13] This is in addition to the fact that Prince Alaa el-Din was nicknamed Abu el-ostool (father of the fleet) because he was the one who was entrusted by Sultan al-Ghuri with the task of building a new Egyptian fleet.
After the fall of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt into the hands of the Ottomans, specifically in the eighteenth century, the el-Emam family took control of a number of mayor positions areas in Damietta and Dakahlia, the most famous of which are the areas of Mit el-Sheyoukh and Mit Tarif, which are governed by the el-Emam family to this day.