Why Heliopolis Cemetery, visited by Piyush Goyal, holds emotional relevance for India

It houses a major memorial commemorating over 3,700 British Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives during World War I campaigns in Egypt and Palestine. The original memorial was built at Port Tewfik (Suez Canal) in 1926.

"General Headquarters, Middle East Command was set up in Cairo shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, remaining there throughout the war years. In January 1941, a Royal Air Force Sector Headquarters for Fighter Defence Canal Zone was established. Cairo was also a significant hospital centre during the Second World War, as well as a leave centre with many social clubs and hostels," the Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes.

"The cemetery at Heliopolis was opened in October 1941 for burials from the many hospitals in the area coping with the wounded and sick, mainly from the Western Desert campaigns. After the war, 125 graves were moved into the cemetery from Mena Camp Military Cemetery, where permanent maintenance was not possible," it adds.

Egypt saw military action during both World Wars, including the famous battle of El Alamein in World War II, which blunted the Nazi advance towards the British-controlled Suez Canal. Indian soldiers took part in large numbers during both conflicts.

According to most estimates, some 1.5 million Indians served in the British Indian Army during World War I. They were deployed to battlefronts spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. At the wars end, India had suffered more than 120,000 total casualties men killed, wounded, or missing.

According to the website Imperial War Museums, by the end of the Second World War in August 1945, the Armed Forces of India were the second largest fighting force among the Commonwealth nations, after Britain, and had fought on virtually every battle front that Britain had been engaged in.

Goyal's visit came just days after Armistice Day, observed annually on November 11 to commemorate the ceasefire that ended active fighting on the Western Front of World War I in 1918.

The minister is on an official visit to Egypt from November 15 to 16. The aim is to strengthen bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation between the two countries.

According to an official notification by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Goyal will co-chair the 7th Session of the IndiaEgypt Joint Trade Committee (JTC) with Egypt's Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr Mohamed Farid Saleh, on November 15 in Cairo.

The visit will also include the IndiaEgypt Joint Business Council (JBC) Meeting and the IndiaEgypt Business Forum. This will bring together business leaders and industry representatives from both countries to explore opportunities for trade, investment, joint ventures and technology partnerships. (ANI)