Download pdf - Newsletter of Egypt Tourism June 2012

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Egyptian Tourism Promotion AuthorityEGYPT THIS MONTH

Issue 36June 2012 www.egypt.travel

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eGYPTiAN ArCHiTeCTure THrouGH THe AGe oF TiMe

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Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority News letter Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority News letter L

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Throughout history Egyptian art and architecture has always flourished and has managed to surpass the test of time; the scattered historical buildings and monuments all attest to that. A fusion of Moorish, European, African and Pharaonic styles is what sets apart Egyptian architecture from any other country.

These three houses turned museums - Prince Beshtak Palace, Kavafi Museum and Manial Palace - are great examples of how each era had its own unique style that is different from the other, but equally beautiful.

Beshtak PalaceEngulfed in the midst of old Islamic Cairo and specifically

near the Katkhuda Sabil, off Al Muizz Li Din Allah street, lies one of that thriving era’s most captivating palaces: the Prince Beshtak Palace.

Built by Prince Beshtak Al Nasiry, sometime between 1334-1339 AD (735-740 AH), this palace is one of the very few surviving examples of fourteenth century Bahari Mamluk domestic architecture.

Prince Beshtak Al Nasiry, a rich and influential prince, held several posts in Sultan Al Nasir Mohamed Ibn Qalawun’s court. Al Nasiry was also the Sultan’s son-in-law. Despite his wealth and close ties to the Sultan, one of Al Nasiry’s bitter rivals, Prince Qawsun, had him arrested, imprisoned and later executed, in addition to taking over all of Al Nasiry’s properties and claiming them his own.

Despite being originally five floors high, only the two bottom floors survived the test of time. The palace’s main façade distinguished by its mashrabiya windows overlooks Al Muizz Eddin Allah Street, while its entrance begins on the northern corner of the façade.

On either side, above the entrance, in small roundels, are the diamond-shaped napkin blazons of the Jamadar (Sultan’s Master of Robes). Evidence of one of the many positions Al Nasiry held, including being responsible for the Sultan’s garments.

Deliberately curved or bent, the entrance was constructed to secure the palace’s residents’ privacy. The entrance leads visitors into the palace’s main courtyard, which is not a reception area as was the custom at the time, but a semi-private area for the palace’s residents and their guests to dismount. The ground floor is comprised of the storage and service rooms, a prayer hall and a long line of shops that were rented out to merchants.

Stepping on to the second floor, one is greeted by a spacious qa’a (hall). With its pointed arches, stained glass windows gilt and painted wood paneling, it crowns this beautiful qa’a as one of the architectural masterpieces of that era. During Al Nasiry’s time, a fountain inlaid with colored marble in geometric patterns stood in the center of the

The AfricA-europe chAllenge (Aec) SeTS SAil in AlexAndriA

On the 25th of May, when the World was celebrat-ing Africa Day, the Africa-Europe Challenge, the project that probably will become one of the biggest event-series of the two continents has also started. The basics of the program are created by the first ever international fleet that will sail around Africa stopping in 13 African and 2 European countries where cultural, economical, scientific and educational missions will be realized in the host countries.

To promote the Africa-Europe Challenge in Africa, the flagship of the AEC, the Dutch ASTRID tall ship has set her sail from Malta on 25th May to circumnavigate Africa and visit the countries where the AEC fleet will stop in order to invite those countries to participate.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, the Egyptian Tourist Authority and the Hungarian Embassy in Egypt the coastal city of Alexandria is getting ready to host the inaugural event of the first sailing boats race from the 3rd to the 12th of June. In celebration of this event, the historic sail boat, Astried, will stop at the Alexandria port for ten consecutive days. The Astried was built in 1918 and is set to sail around 15 different European and African countries, including Malta, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Nigeria and Morocco.

Furthermore, organized trips will be made to the Water Club at Montazah, which will enable the event’s guests to watch this historical boat. The inaugural party will be held at the lavish Salamlek hotel in Montazah Gardens, in addition to a one of a kind closing cer-emony at the majestic Qait Bay Fortress.

http://www.africaeuropechallenge.com/aec

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qa’a. Another highlight at the palace is a small museum that documents the city of Cairo’s rich history.

Understanding its historical and architectural significance, several entities were involved in preserving and protecting it. The palace went through several restoration and renovation phases, dating back to the 1930s by the Egyptian governmental institution and the Comite de Conservation des Monuments de L’Arte Arabe. The second phase took place in the 1980s and was headed by the German Archeological Institute and most recently, in the late 2000s, the palace became listed among the monuments that were to be restored as part of the Historic Cairo Restoration Project.

Prince Beshtak Palace:Darb El Qirmiz Alley, off Al Muizz Li Din Allah Street, Old CairoOpen Daily from 9am – 4pmAdmission: Free

STeigenberger To operATe cruiSe ShipS on The nile And lAke nASSer

The Steigenberger Hotel Group announced that in October 2012 it will start operations of three luxury cruise ships namely Minerva, Legacy and Omar El Khayam cruising the River Nile and Lake Nasser.

The cruise ships Steigenberger Minerva and Steigenberger Legacy will operate between Luxor and Aswan in three, four and seven night itineraries, whereas the Omar El Khayam will operate on Lake Nasser between Aswan and Abu Simbel in three and four night cruises. All three luxury vessels have been recently constructed and offer 70 to 80 cabins, includ-ing elegant suites, and a range of restaurants and pools. The ships will be operated in co-operation with the Cairo-based company Travcotels.

“TeATro eSkendriA”A new ArT And culTure SpAce

“TEATRO ESKENDRIA,” Alexandria’s latest art and culture space, held its primary opening in May. The space is financed by Dr. Mahmoud Aboudoma, the renowned writer and theater director, in addition to a contribution made by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Egypt and the Culture Resource Centre (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy).

The 320-square meter, Italian architecture style build-ing dates back to 1923 in the historic Downtown area. The center offers an extensive variety of cultural activi-ties and services to the Egyptian and the International community.

“TEATRO ESKENDRIA “ will officially launch its services on 15 June 2012.

new flighTS by kArnAkEGYPTAIR Tourism (Karnak) & Duty Free is currently

considering to operate aircraft for Smart Aviation Company in order to support and boost domestic and international tourism coming to Egypt from many Arab and European countries.

The company plans early flights to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada from Cairo, and one day trips from Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada to Cairo, as well as one day trips from Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada to Luxor to visit the touristic and archaeological sites.

Over and above, regular charter flights to Egypt from several Arab countries, especially Jeddah, Dhahran and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Beirut, Kuwait and Amman, and some European countries, espe-cially Larnaca in Cyprus and Sabiha Airport in Turkey.

keeping iT locAl in The kiTchen AT hilTon luxor reSorT & SpA

Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa began its local produce program in 2010. The goal was to minimize the hotel’s carbon footprint by buying local goods and produce with the spin off benefits that locally bought produce tastes better and holds the most nutritious value the faster it is used.

Locally grown and raised produce now makes up around 50% of all the ingredients used in the hotel’s dishes and drinks at Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa.

The chef says, “We recently decided to only buy and use Egyptian olive oils in our kitchen. We also love to use fresh fish from the Red Sea. The herbs we use to flavor each dish are grown in our very own garden, which is tended to by one of our chefs and our head gardener.”

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Situated a few kilometers away from downtown Cairo, on a luscious green plot of land on Roda Island in Manial, lies one of Egypt’s architectural treasures, the Manial Palace. The Palace was built between 1899 and 1926 by Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik, the uncle of King Farouk I, Egypts last king.

The nearly 30-year long project resulted in an imposing palace combining a number of different architectural styles including Ottoman, Andalusian, Persian, and European rococo.

Nowadays, the palace is divided into numerous sections, halls and museums. These house valuable collectibles that were amassed by Prince Mohammed and King Farouk during their lives, and include medieval manuscripts, clothes, jewels, carpets, textile, furniture and brass work. There’s also a hunting museum where King Farouk’s hunting trophies and equipment are displayed. A nice addition to the palace is a rare plant garden, where the prince planted tropical and exotic plants and flowers brought back from his frequent voyages.”, then the paragraph which starts with “Following till public.

Following the eruption of the 1952 Revolution that overthrew the country’s monarchy, the royal residential compound and everything in it was confiscated by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Manial Palace is now an art and botanical museum, open to the public.

Address: Roda Island, ManialTelephone: +2 (02) 2368-7495Opening Hours: 9am-3pmAdmission: LE 25 for adults and LE 12 for students

Majestic Manial Palace

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The legendary Greek poet Constantine Kavafi was born to Greek parents, but spent the last 25 years of his life in Alexandria, and has always considered himself the son of the coastal city. Following his death in 1933, his six-room apartment on Lespius Street – now Sharm El Sheikh Street – was transformed into a hostel.

In 1991, The Kavafi International Committee leased the poet’s apartment and the Kavafi Museum was opened to the public in November 1992. Even though all of the poet’s furniture was sold by the poet’s heirs, the apartment was

revived to the way it was while Kavafi still lived with help of his many friends. Photographs were used to help in the reconstruction of the furniture and the apartment’s general surrounding.

Walking into the museum, you are greeted by large ancient Greek wine urns and high ceilings. The front door leads you to a narrow hall, surrounded by different rooms. The hall is sparsely furnished but is adorned with portraits of the Alexandria loving poet.

The poet’s bedroom is a narrow rectangular room that displays a copper bed and a Moroccan vanity table that carries the wooden clogs of the poet’s muse. The walls are decorated by a long line of portraits, old shots of the room of the house and an ink on paper depiction of Kavafi by the musician Andreas Karrayan.

A TribuTe To CulTureThe Kavafi Museum takes you back to Alexandria’s thriving

culture scene

The highlight of the museum is the poet’s library, which was fortunately saved by Cavafologist Professor George Savidis. The library spans across two rooms and hung up on its walls are black and white photographs of his four brothers, mother and father. Also, on display are 158 poems, which were translated into 20 languages by forty different scholars, in addition to numerous articles written on Kavafi that are also hung up on the wall.

The salon is comprised of a sofa and replicas of two chairs that were once present in the room. The chairs were copied from old photos and were donated by the Greek Patriarchate. The only original pieces of the furniture in that room are an old gilt mirror and the macabre death mask of the poet.

The next room is a tribute to his longtime friend and student Stratis Tsirkas. Triskas was greatly influenced by Kavafi and wrote extensively about him.

Copies of the poet’s work is also available for sale at the museum.

If you are planning a trip to Alexandria, make sure that you include

this museum on your ‘What to see in Alexandria’ list.

4 Sharm El Sheikh Street, off Istanbul Street, Alexandria

Tel.: +2 (010) 0375-6390

Open Daily from 10am – 5pm, excluding Mondays

Admission: LE 15

diScovery of A coffin depicTing imporTAnT religiouS

inScripTionS

The discovery of a new Pharaonic tomb to “Hjoty Nakht”, the last district ruler in the First Intermediate Period (1994 - 2150 BC ) was made in Deir Al Barsha region in the Governorate of Al Menya. This is the first time in many years that findings were discovered pre-served in such good condition.

The archeological works were in the cemetery of “Aha Nakht I”, the first ruler of the Middle Kingdom (1994 - 1650 BC) and inside one of the rooms, the tomb of his father, “Hjoty Nakht”.

The inscriptions on the coffin elaborate one of the most important religious text in the era of the Intermediate Kingdom. It also represents a link between the inscriptions on the Pyramid of the Old Kingdom and the famous “Book of the Dead” in the era of the new Kingdom. The excavations also revealed tools for the religious rites made from ala-baster, copper and porcelain. Among which were alabaster jars, Offering Tables, headrests, a set of brass vases and dishes and a unique set of ritual tools that were only known through ancient inscriptions.

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14th

Music from Palestine

Toot Ard Band

El Geneina Theater, Azhar Park, Salah Salem Rd.

Tel: (02) 2362 5057

Time: 8.30 pm

14th & 15th

Sixth 100 Live Festival

Electronic Music Festival

Rawabet Theater, Hussein Me’amar St. Downtown.

Tel: (02) 2576 8086

Time: 7 pm

15th

Music from Egypt

Masar Egbary Band


Tel: (02) 2362 5057

Time: 8.30 pm

16th

Classic

Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67

and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Sym-

phonic Suite, Op.35 Conductor: Ahmed El Saedi

Main Hall, Cairo Opera House.

Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

21st

Classic

Fete de la Musique

Shostakovich’s Festival Overture, Beethoven’s

Romance for Violin and Orchestra No.2 in F

Major, Op.50, Cook’s Bolivar for Trombone and

Orchestra, Weber’s Overture to Oberon and

Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and

orchestra. Soloists:Yasser Ghoneim (violin),

Mohamed Gamal (trombone), Emad Hamdi (Gui-

tar). Conductor: Tarek Mahran


Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

22nd

Music from Egypt

Wust El Balad Band


Tel: (02) 2362 5057

Time: 8.30 pm

24th

Rhythmic Latin Jazz

Eleanora Iannotta

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 10 pm

28th

French Touch with Animal Stabisme (France)

The Neo Punk duo will present House Music

(Berlin), Chaabi (Egyptian) and French Parisian

and Zouglou (Ivory Coast)

French Institute of Egypt,5 Chafik El Dib St.

Heliopolis. Tel: (02) 2417 4824

Time: 8 pm

Theater

3rd

A Soldier’s Tale

Composed by Stravinsky, it is a 1918 theatri-

cal work “to be read, played and danced”. The

libretto, based on a Russian folk tale, was written

in French by the Swiss universalist writer Ramuz.

It is about a soldier who trades his fiddle to the

devil for a book that predicts the future of the

economy. The story is told by three actors: the

soldier, the devil and a narrator, who also takes

on the roles of minor characters. A dancer plays

the non-speaking role of the princess, and there

may also be additional ensemble dancers.

Small Hall, Cairo Opera House

Time: 8 pm

Ethnic

9th

Modern Folkloric

Basheer Band


Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 10 pm

Special Events

1st

Festival of Ephemeral Arts”

Besides traditional, Austrian “Schrammelmusik”

and Austrian culinary specialties, there will be

lots of cultural activities like theater, water cal-

ligraphy or saw-dust-art workshops for young

and old. In the shade of the trees there will be an

exhibition of the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt

and Egyptian storytellers will narrate Austrian

fairy tales.

Azhar Park,Salah Salem St.

Time: 4 - 9 pm

14th

Mexican Night

Authentic Mexican specialties and freshly pre-

pared margaritas.

Community Services Association, 4 Rd 21, Maadi

Tel: (02) 2358 5284

Time: 5 pm


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Art

1st - 13th

Dust by Xenia Nikolskaya

A Photographic exhibition, exploring Egypt’s

abandoned architectural heritage and a publica-

tion of texts and images.

Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art

10 Nabrawy Street off Champollion Street,

Downtown - Cairo . Tel: (0 2) 2576 8086

3rd June - 3rd July

The Holy Family in Egypt

Exhibition by a selection of contemporary artists.

Picasso Art Gallery, 30 Hassan Assem St. Zamalek.

(off Brazil St.). Tel: (02) 2736 7544

18th

Hassan Fathy - An Egyptian Ambition

Architectural Drawings and photos of Hassan

Fathy’s dreams

French Institute of Egypt, 30 Nabi Daniel St.

Alexandria Tel: (03) 392 0804

Time: 7 pm

20th

The Siege of Cairo

Photographs by Mauro L’Abate

Marshrabia Gallery, 8 Champollion St. Downtown.

Tel: (02) 2578 4494.

Exhibition until July 7th

Music

2nd

Classic

Ravel’s Rapsode Espagnole, Debussy’s Dances

Sacree et Profane and Brahms’ Symphony No.3

in F Major, Op.90. Soloist: Amira Hamed (Harp).

Conductor: Ahmed El Saedi


Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

3rd

Vocal Jazz

Habashi & the Jazz Caterers


Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 10 pm

9th

Classic

Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D

major, Op.77, Bartok’s Six Romanian Dances and

Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No.1 in A Major,

Op.11. Soloist: Hossam Shehata. Conductor:

Jiri Peterdlik


Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

14th

French Touch with Animal Stabisme (France)

The Neo Punk duo will present House Music

(Berlin), Chaabi (Egyptian) and French Parisian

and Zouglou (Ivory Coast)

French Institute of Egypt, Madrasset El Huqquq El

Ferensia, Mounira.

Tel: (02) 2791 5871

Time: 9 pm

CALENDARJune 2012

Dust at Townhouse Gallery

Photography by Mauro L’Abate

Wust El Balad, Geneina Theater