Cairo is a city that refuses to fully make sense. It is like that one friend whose actions you can never pin down, always catching you off guard and stealing moments from you as if they were never meant to be yours. And yet, you stay close, because you know, without a doubt, that there is no one else in the world quite like them.
One moment, you are strolling down an old street where laundry still sways from balconies as it has for decades, and the next, you are sitting inside a sleek, glass-walled café in a neighborhood that feels like a different country altogether.
You cannot help but wonder: how do all of these lives, all of these contradictions, manage to live inside one city?
This question is at the heart of Between the Two Worlds (2024), a visual project by Nadia ElSarnagawy, an Egyptian graphic designer based in Cairo, whose work is rooted in the beauty and chaos of the city. She works across mediums, often circling back to the urban fabric of Cairo to explore its contradictions, collisions, and unique moments.
In this visual project, she explores the contrasts of two adjacent neighborhoods: Boulaq and Zamalek. Though they sit only minutes apart (about 3.7 kilometers by road), they represent vastly different realities in terms of history, identity, and lived experience.
“I was particularly drawn to Boulaq and Zamalek because they sit side by side geographically,” Nadia tells Egyptian Streets, “yet feel like two completely different worlds. That contrast intrigued me; the idea that in a single city, two neighborhoods could exist so differently in terms of lifestyle, history, and perception.”
Boulaq and Zamalek, though geographically close, present contrasting urban narratives within Cairo. Boulaq, situated on the Nile’s banks, has a history dating back to the 15th century when it emerged as Cairo’s primary port. Over time, it evolved into a dense, working-class district characterized by small-scale industries, reflecting Cairo’s industrial past.
In contrast, Zamalek occupies a portion of Gezira Island in the Nile and is known for its affluence and cultural landmarks. Developed in the 19th century, it features tree-lined streets, embassies, and upscale residences. The neighborhood hosts art galleries, museums, and institutions like the Cairo Opera House, making it a center for cultural activities in the city.
Before she began the project, she took a moment to think about the central question driving the project: what are the dynamics of adjacent neighborhoods with contrasting identities, and how do they shape urban life in Cairo?
That question led her to look not just at the physical spaces she is exploring, but also at how people experience them. “I was curious about how individuals from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds live alongside one another,” she says. “It felt important to explore how those differences influence the city’s rhythm and reflect in Cairo’s everyday social fabric.”
Rather than staging scenes or curating polished imagery, she let the neighborhoods speak in their own textures and tones. “I spent a lot of time simply walking around both neighborhoods, immersing myself in the day-to-day,” she says.
“I captured everything from the raw movement of Boulaq’s markets to the peaceful and curated spaces of Zamalek. My imagery leans toward warmer tones and natural light, to reflect the warmth I felt.”
As the visuals accumulated, the project began to take a more defined shape, not just as a collection of images, but as a narrative experience. “The project started off quite loosely,” Nadia shares.
“I knew I wanted to document the contrast between the two neighborhoods, but I didn’t know how it would all come together visually. As I spent more time walking, observing, and photographing, I found myself more emotionally invested, and I wanted the design to reflect that.”
Experiencing these emotions helped her make different decisions about layout and production that better reflected how she genuinely felt while walking through these neighborhoods. The book that emerged mirrors the rhythm of the city, moving between chaos and calm, contrast and continuity.
“I began to see recurring themes that informed the structure of the book,” she says. “The design evolved to mirror my personal journey. I also bitmapped the archival images from Boulaq’s past, to preserve their quality while integrating them into the visual tone of the book.”
As the project came to a close, she realized that Between the Two Worlds (2024) is not a call for resolution or an attempt to bridge the divide between Boulaq and Zamalek. Rather, much like Cairo itself, which embraces its contrasting neighborhoods side by side, the project creates space for both to coexist.
“I don’t think the goal was to bridge the understanding between the two neighborhoods in a direct way,” she reflects. “But rather to hold space for both. Cairo thrives on contradictions, and this project is an attempt to capture that.”
If the project opens up new ways of seeing, even for just a moment, then, to Nadia, it has served its purpose. “I hoped to create a space where people can pause and reflect on the layers of Cairo that often go unnoticed,” she says.
“If Between the Two Worlds encourages people to look at Cairo with fresh eyes or from a new perspective, then I believe it has done its job.”
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