Thinking of ways to enjoy this year’s Eid Al Adha other than eating fatta with your family and friends? The arts and culture scene in Egypt is giving you this opportunity with a wide range of films, festivals and late night musical delights to enjoy. With films, this year the Egyptian film industry is flooding the theaters with new releases, one of them – which was out since mid July and has attracted widespread attention – is “El-Fil El-Azrak 2” (Blue Elephant 2), starring Karim Abdel-Aziz, Hend Sabri, Nelly Karim, Sherine Reda and Eyad Nassar. It is based on based on Ahmed Mourad’s famous book ‘The Blue Elephant’. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz51lQ7HgN2/?utm_source=ig_embed For Ahmed Helmy fans, the renowned actor returned to the film scene since 2016 with ‘Khayal Ma’ata’ (Shadow of the Dead), starring actress Menna Shalaby, which previously worked with him in the two successful films “Keda Reda” and “Asif Ala el-Eza’ag” (Sorry for the Inconvenience). The new film is written by Abdel Rahim Kamal and is directed by Khaled Marei. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yfaP6nXYz/ The two other equels coming out this holiday is “3awdet Osoud El-Ard“, starring Ahmed Ezz, Ahmed El-Fishawy, Amr Youssef, Ahmed…
Ministry of Antiquities: Large Cairo Museum Artifacts Transferred to GEM
According to an official statement by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, various artifacts have been moved from Cairo’s famous museum in Tahrir to the Grand Egyptian Museum. The artifacts, all significantly large-sized, were transferred to the GEM on Friday morning to undergo restoration work in preparation for their display in the Grand Staircase, at the opening of the museum’s soft opening in 2020. Director General of Archeological Affairs at the GEM, Dr. Tayeb Abbas, revealed that the artifacts included large statuary, including a Sphinx granite statue of Ramses II, and a granite column of Amenemhat III. The Grand Egyptian Museum is set to open in 2020 and will be the largest archaeological museum in the world, housing many of Egypt’s treasures. Over 50,000 artifacts have been transferred to the GEM, a neighbor to Cairo’s famous Great Pyramids located on the Giza plateau, so far. In the last years, the museum opening has faced several delays ever since construction started in 2012 due to a shortage of funds. Accordingly, Egypt and Japan reached an agreement in 2016 with the Japanese Agency for Development Cooperation (JICA) agreeing to provide USD 460 million to…
Looking Beyond Egypt During Eid: A Glimpse at Some of Europe’s Impressive Mosques
With Eid Al-Adha now underway, it is a timely moment to look more closely at the beauty of the key locales in which Muslims across the world congregate for prayers, that is, mosques. While Egypt and the Muslim world at large are of course full of these splendid structures — ranging from impressive and longstanding city mosques such as Cairo’s Mosque of Amr ibn al-As and its Mosque of Ibn Tulun to countless smaller or simpler renditions — there are also many mosques to be admired around the rest of the world, worthy of some attention on this religious occasion. In Europe, mosques have had a relatively long presence, considering that different parts of the continent were once under Muslim rule. The Ottomans in the Balkan region, the Moors in Spain and the Tatars in what are now Baltic countries, have indeed left a rich Muslim heritage dating back centuries – and this naturally means a number of stunning mosques. In more recent decades, furthermore, with the arrival of thousands of migrants from predominantly Muslim countries, mosques and Islamic centers have been springing up across the continent, often combining traditional…
More Than 2 Million Muslims in Mecca For Hajj Pilgrimage
More than 2 million Muslim pilgrims are in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on to perform the hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage that follows the path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad and is considered the most sacred week in the Islamic calendar. Saudi authorities have undertaken preparations to ensure that pilgrims perform their rituals with ease, dedicating 350,000 people to help the pilgrims, said Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. A recent initiative, called the Makkah Route initiative, now enables pilgrims to complete Saudi health, visa and immigration procedures in their home countries to ensure smooth transport to Makkah and Madinah. On Friday, pilgrims circled the Kaaba in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. Today, the pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat, also known as the Mount of Mercy, praying to God for forgiveness and blessings, which is also the place where Prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who accompanied him for Hajj towards the end of his life. On the following day, Muslims globally celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Grand Feast, and one of the two most important Islamic holidays, which honors the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice…
Arabs in the African Cup: How Soccer Challenges Egyptian Nationalism
“If a hundred things separate us, soccer unites us.” These opening lyrics to the viral African Cup of Nations (AFCON) song highlight that nothing unites African nations more than soccer. Transcending borders, language, religion and culture, countries across the region compete for the coveted AFCON title. Hundreds of millions watch the games, with a viewership third in popularity to the FIFA World Cup and European Nations Championship. A unified African identity is celebrated and imagined in these moments. Devotees across the continent and diaspora rally behind their national teams, waving vibrant flags while singing populist songs harmonized by a chorus of football aficionados. Multigenerational crowds fill cafes as the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke dissipates to the shouts of spectators’ pulsating jeers and cheers. Embracing their shared Africanness, to enthusiasts it is more than just a game. The tournament educates children to an inclusive lived history of their continent unbridled by stereotypical narratives of Africa as being ‘backwards.’ Even offering a geography lesson, fans can easily identify countries like Namibia, Mali, or Senegal, nations often overlooked in today’s media. Within soccer circles, African nations are not labeled by their place on…
Summer Read Suggestions: 11 Literary Works by Egyptian Writers
Egyptian literature is suffused with inspiring and thoughtful masterpieces. Nonetheless, it is quite a challenge to find contemporary Egyptian literature in English or in translation, as such, Egyptian Streets has compiled a list of 11 poems, short stories and one essay to give literature enthusiasts a taste of contemporary works from a variety of Egyptian authors. These works were mostly published in Arabic, and many in print, but they have been compiled here to give the modern reader ease of access. 1.’Solitude’ by Doria Shafik (poetry) One of the most iconic feminists of Egyptian modern history, Doria Shafik is well-known for her political activism and advanced education. Not only was she editor in chief of Bint Al Nil (Daughter of the Nile) and La Femme Nouvelle (The Modern Woman), she also founded an Egyptian feminist organization and lead women to storm Parliament to obtain their right to vote. It’s important to note that Shafik herself was a great translator, having translated the Quran to French and English, and was a prolific writer of fiction essays as well as poetry. Her poetry took on a philosophical tone, which is understandable considering…
17 Terrorists Killed by Egypt Police in Cancer Institute Bombing Raids
Seventeen members of a terrorist cell were killed across two hideouts in Egypt in raids carried out by security forces on Thursday in response to the bombing of the National Cancer Institute in Cairo. According to a statement by the Ministry of Interior, eight terrorists were killed during a raid of a hideout in Fayoum, while seven other terrorists were killed during a second raid in East Shorouk, located east of Cairo. Two other terrorist were killed during an attempt to arrest them elsewhere in Cairo. Police forces found explosives, weapons and ammunition at both hideouts. Who was the bomber? The raids were carried out after security forces succeeded in identifying the individual who carried out the bombing of the National Cancer Institute, which killed 22 people and injured dozens while also causing substantial damage to the National Cancer Institute’s building. The bomber was identified as Hasm terrorist cell member Abdel-Rahman Khaled Mahmoud by police in a statement on Thursday. “After investigations, including the analysing of information by the national security apparatus…[the] identity was determined to be Abdel-Rahman Khaled Mahmoud, a member of Hasm, which is affiliated to the Muslim…
BDS Egypt Calls for Boycott of Jennifer Lopez’s Concert Over Israel Gig
BDS Egypt, part of the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement against Israel, called for a boycott of Jennifer Lopez’s first concert in Egypt in New Alamein City in response to her recent gig in Israel, which she referred to as ‘mother land’ on her social media. In an open letter to the organisers, BDS Egypt called for the show to be cancelled. “This concert will take place after her previous concert in occupied Palestine days ago, which she insisted on carrying out despite many calls to boycott Israel and cancel the concert,” the group wrote. https://www.facebook.com/BDSEGYPT/photos/a.923408747685114/3420854967940467/?type=3&theater In another post, the organization noted that the Egyptian company’s plans to organize the concert attempts to “normalize the Zionist enemy and those involved in supporting its crimes,” and that Lopez’s photos on social media “with occupied Palestine behind her” is “provocation.” Though Jennifer Lopez refused to respond to calls to boycott Israel, BDS Egypt calls for every Egyptian to “boycott this concert in response to the previous positions of the American singer” and reject any “normalization attempts”. In an article on Ynet news, an Israeli website, Raz Shechnik stated that “Jennifer Lopez did…
American Dating App Provider Expands Into MENA, Acquires Egypt-Based Harmonica App
Leading American provider of dating-related apps Match Group has managed to expand into the MENA market by acquiring Egyptian match-making app Harmonica, according to a press statement released on 7 August 2019. Detecting profitability in predominantly Muslim countries across the MENA region and Asia, the giant company is on a mission to grow globally, by acquiring local reinventions of its most popular app, Tinder. “As we think about international growth and expansion, there are huge populations of young singles – mostly across Asia and the Middle East – that will be looking for their life partners in the near future, and that are not properly served by Western products,” said Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Match Group. Harmonica is carefully designed to help Muslim users find suitable life partners, ‘using a scientific, safe, and culturally accepted approach,’ according to its website. Based in Cairo, the startup was founded back in 2017 by four Egyptian entrepreneurs Sameh Saleh, Tamer Saleh, Aly Khaled, and Shaymaa Ali, who saw a gap in the market for apps that would serve their own community and therefore sought to create an app that could facilitate meaningful and…