Maadi retains the ancient name of the town that once stood on much the same site as today's district, and which has now turned out to be a significant Predynastic archaeological site. However, building activity in the area has destroyed some archaeologically sensitive places.
There was a story that the name was given after the ferries that operated on the Nile side, carrying people across the Nile to the opposite side, hence the name Ma'adi "plural of the word Ma'adiya, which is Arabic for ferry".
The town traces its modern history to 1904 when the railway between Cairo and Helwan was built. This in combination with land speculation by the Mosseri cousins gave rise to a new town. Construction was originally limited to the area right near the railway, but eventually spread down to the river Nile. Also, a large army camp was built east of the railway.
The town planning was done in 1905 by a retired Canadian officer Captain Alexander J. Adams. His vision led to the wide boulevards and large villas still seen in Maadi today. There were very strict rules associated with residential development in Maadi with regards to the size of houses, how much of the property could be occupied by the house and how much had to be left for the garden, and the size of the sidewalks. Even window shutters had prescribed colours.
Other regulations included radio noise control after 22:00 and fines for not maintaining gardens properly.
An example of British colonial life in Maadi may be found in The house at Maadi, a short story by Gerald Bullett from his collection The street of the eye (1923).
Second World War
During the period between 1940 and 1946, Maadi had an important role in the Military history of New Zealand during World War II; around 76,000 members of the First Echelon, 2 NZEF (Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force) main body trained at a camp near Maadi at the base of the desert slopes of Wadi Degla and Tel al-Maadi
