Culture
Fourth Luxor International Painting Symposium
Overlooking the Nile, the 25 artists taking part in the fourth Luxor International Painting Symposium — which this year took “Africa, Expressions of Identity” as its theme — were taken on excursions to nearby islands and ancient ruins and used the trips as a time to bond and exchange more than just artistic skills.... »
By the will of the People
My homeland, my homeland, my hallowed land, Only to you is my due hearty love at command. My homeland, my homeland, my hallowed land, Only to you is my due hearty love at command. Mother of the great ancient land, My sacred wish and holy demand, All should love, awe and cherish thee, Gracious is thy Nile to humanity, No evil hand... »
Cairo’s Museum of Islamic Art recovers its grandeur
Following years of neglect, the Museum of Islamic Art has undergone comprehensive rehabilitation not only of its building and interior design, but also of its exhibition design and displays. The MIA was first opened in 1881 with an initial display of 111 objects gathered from mosques and mausoleums across Egypt. Since then the museum has... »
Egyptian music’s ancient past resurrected
Last Wednesday, ancient met modern at El Sawy Culture Wheel when the band Welad el-Faraana (Children of the Pharaohs), wearing jeans and t-shirts and playing pharaonic and Nubian instruments, resurrected the music of their Egyptian ancestors. Welad al-Faraana signals a trend in contemporary Egyptian music, which has steadily begun welcoming pharaonic and Nubian music back... »
Who serves the best street food – the Egyptians or the Turks?
Image by effeietsanders via Flickr The bustling, frantic streets of Turkey and Egypt’s towns and cities are home to hundreds of street hawkers who excel in delivering mouth-watering ... »
Slowly changing Egypt’s old stereotypes
After February’s vote by the State Council for Administrative Judges against female judges, the council’s vice president was quoted by Egyptian media as saying he didn’t think women could handle the workload of cases. Another top official added that having female judges could violate Islamic proscriptions against meetings between unrelated men and women. The... »
Caricature Museum in the Fayoum Oasis
The small artist colony of Tunis is located at the western end of the Fayoum oasis on a small elevation overlooking the lake. It is home to a number of writers, painters, and, above all, potters, whose work has made the village famous. Five years ago, Mohamed Abla opened the Fayoum Art Center. Courses in... »
Sale of Zabaleen handicrafts
Suzan and Nimet Habachy have been selling handicrafts made by women from an impoverished community of garbage collectors in Cairo for the past 15 years. The items are an ever-changing assortment of brightly hued rag rugs, patchwork quilts and other crafts pieced together out of unused, donated fabrics. The money from their sale returns... »
The Library of Alexandria: “House of Muses”
Image via Wikipedia It was remarkable and extraordinary that this soldier (Alexander the Great) built one of the greatest academic institutions in history. It was called the House of Muses (from which we derive the word “museum”) and contained all the elements of a modern residential university. It comprised four schools — mathematics, letters, astronomy... »
Zahi Hawass appointed deputy minister of culture
Dr. Zahi Hawass has been appointed to the position of Deputy Minister of Culture. He will also stay on in his current post as secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), a post he was supposed to be pensioned off this coming May, as he will be 63-years-old. Hawass has published 15 books... »
