Hammad Hassab was an Egyptian First Class passenger aboard Titanic and the only Egyptian to survive the disaster. Hammad was born in Cairo in 1885. Hassab, who owned farmland, worked with Thomas Cook & Son at the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo as a dragoman (a translator, guide and interpreter), thanks to his fluency in English, French and German. He had a wife, named Fatima Hussein Kamel Katukhdh Kharbotliand.
He was invited by Henry Sleeper Harper and his wife Myra on board the Titanic, both of whom insisted he joins them given his hospitality whenever they'd visit Cairo. In April 1912, he boarded the ship in Cherbourg, France with ticket number PC 17572 (Harper). He was curious about America. While he was going on this sea voyage, his wife Fatima was expecting. While Henry and Myra stayed in Cabin D-33, Mr. Harper had booked Hammad in D-49.
Throughout the course of the trip, Hassab was dubbed "mysterious" by many passengers, given how quiet he remained and how very few interactions he had. On April 14, the day the Titanic hit an iceberg, Hassab was walking around before he heard someone tell his crew members the iceberg split the ship in the middle and they will inevitably sink.
Hassab quickly told the Harpers and they all rushed up to the Boat Deck and boarded Lifeboat 3, taking their dog Sun Yat Sen with them. A number of other passengers joined them and it’s believed the lifeboat had a total of 32 people, half of it's total capacity, which is why they were able to survive.
Following the Titanic disaster, Hassab remained missing and his family didn't know about his whereabouts for three years. He, however, sent them a postcard on April 18, 1912, three days after the ship sank, from New York to let them know he's safe.
Another short message was written by him to his brother.
Said Hassat
Mena House
Cairo, Egypt
All safe Hammad
In 1915, Hassab returned home to his wife and family, who didn’t question him or talk about his absent years.
"We do not know what happened to my grandfather during the three years during which he was absent. He did not talk about this period. He had a strong personality, no one could talk to him about something he did not want to talk about," Sirajuddin told Saad.
"He certainly suffered from a traumatic shock; something he saw on the ship caused him to lose his memory, and when he regained it immediately returned to his home or was detained there during the investigations conducted in America after the ship sank, and returned when he was released. But what we know is that my grandfather would not leave his family voluntarily," he added.
For the 10 years to follow, Hamad stayed home and refused to travel, fearing that what happened in the Titanic would happen again.
He passed away in 1965.