Newsletter of Egypt Tourism May 2012

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Egyptian Tourism Promotion AuthorityEGYPT THIS MONTH

Issue 35May 2012 www.egypt.travel

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MEDIEVAL CAIROGet to know some of Islamic Cairo’s most

enchanting masterpieces

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

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Tucked away behind the capital’s majestic the Citadel lies a treasure trove of medieval gems from the Islamic era. The enigmatic Islamic Cairo is home to an abundant number of historical sites, monuments and mosques. Many historians and a recent United Nations study have crowned Islamic Cairo’s El Moez Le Din Illah Street as the place with the greatest concentration of medieval Islamic riches.

In 1997, this one-kilometer street started undergoing a massive renovation process, and in 2008, the legendary street metamorphosed into an open-air museum.

This historical area also features an ancient lavish house that dates back to the 17th Century and has undergone a transformational makeover.

Beit El Suheimy

Built on an area of 2100m2, the house is comprised of several

halls, rooms, corridors and courts. The house is divided into two parts: A public area and a

private one. The public area, also known as the Salamlik includes a takhtabush. This is a large benched area which opens onto the courtyard like a hall, in which business transactions were carried out. The women of the house were not permitted in this part of the house.

On the second floor is the maq’ad and the formal reception (qa’a) hall. The private or the Haramlik area includes a (qa’a) as well as private apartments and a bath.

The very high ceilings of the house allow the warmer air to rise and then to be swept away by the north facing maq’ad (wind scoops) in the upper walls, which caught the breeze. This architectural feature really helped in making life easier in Cairo’s dry and hot weather at a time when air conditioners weren’t available.

Since its restoration, Beit El Suheimy has become one of the most popular places for hosting cultural concerts and festivals in the capital.

Behind Al Azhar Mosque are two prominent and popular houses; Beit Zeinab Khatoun and Beit El Sit Wassila that are worth visiting.

Cairo Mediterranean Literary

FestivaL17-21 May

Various locations

Now in its third edition, the Cairo Mediterranean Literary Festival explores the long-standing relation-ship between “literature and the body.”

The event will include a theatrical reading form and several conferences, face-to-face or virtual encounters between authors, visual support in the form of two major exhibitions dedicated to the body and films and documentaries, as well as interactive seminars and book presentations.

This event will be running in different locations in Cairo from May 17 to May 21. For more information go to: http://www.cairomedliteraryfestival.org

Lazytown Live! – the Pirate adventure16 -19 May 2012

FroM 9:30aM until 8:30pM

Must opera House

LazyTown is a children’s television program that was produced in Iceland with a cast and crew from Iceland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

LazyTown Live! - The Pirate Adventure is a touring stage production of the TV show and will sail into Cairo this month, filled with star-jumps, power-moves, laugh out-loud fun, sing-along songs and dancing in the aisles.

Favorite LazyTown friends are included in the show, such as Stephanie and Sportacus and Robbie Rotten.

The show has been highly successful, airing in over 100 countries in more than a dozen languages.

Misr University of Science and Technology Opera House6th of October CityTel: 01094444273/5

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A walking distance from the house is Khatoun Gallery. An old dye house that has been transformed by four local artists into a shop that sells unique oriental crafts.

Beit El Sit Wassila

In the heart of Al Azhar area stands a most memorable house, Beit El Sit Wassila, one of the country’s historical residences. It is located next to Beit El Harawy and behind Al Azhar Mosque. Dating back to the 17th century, this house was built by Sheikh Abdel Haq and his brother Loutfi Al Kenawi. Its name, Beit El Sit Wassila, has been derived from the name of its last owner Wassila Khatoun bent Abdallah El Beida Maatouqa.

Access to the building is gained through a few underground stairs, that lead to the ground level. The entrance to the house is designed in a way that enables the house’s residents to easily view their visitors without being seen.

The ground level consists of an open court, in the middle of which is a large rectangular hall with limestone floors, especially designed for the man of the house to entertain his guests. The first floor is the women of the house and their female visitors’ very own private space. Most of the rooms are decorated with a variety of floral and geometrical wall paintings, inscriptions and mashrabeyas, all supported by a polychrome ceiling.

The house’s rare and unique frecos can be found in the house’s summer reception hall, on the first floor, highlighting the

entrance to a forified city. Around twenty more frescos and murals were discovered, representing flower vases, residencies in Madina El Menawara, in additon to an impressive scene depicting pilgrimage in Mecca.

Beit El Harrawi

While it’s a historic building, Beyt El Harrawi is also all about music. So much so that it also goes by the moniker Beyt Al-Oud (house of the lute). In fact, the director of the house is one of the Arab world’s foremost Oud players, Naseer Shamma, known for his innovations when it comes to the instrument. The space has been dedicated to music and visitors can enjoy concerts in its open-air courtyard.

Sitting in the courtyard, you will also be able to admire the hand-carved mashrabiya windows, which are designed for privacy, especially of the women of the house. Coming off the courtyard is the lavish mandarah, or sitting room, with its carved wooden ceilings and a mosaic inlaid octagonal fountain. The middle section of the mandarah is slightly raised allowing the master of the house to sit in an elevated position of honor above his guests.

Like Beyt Zeinab El Khatoun, Beit El Harrawi is located just south of El Azhar Mosque. It was built in 1731 and occupied until 1920. During the 90’s the house was renovated through joint French-Egyptian efforts.

Amir Taz Palace

The Amir Taz Palace was built in 1352 under the reign of the Mamluks. Taz Al Nasiri built this extravagant palace to celebrate his marriage to Sultan An Nasir Mohamed’s daughter Khwand Zahra. Despite the palace’s splendor, Al Nasiri never really got a chance to reside in it. The original house owner fell victim to a series of accusations and conspiracies and even faced imprisonment, so he ended having to flee the country, leaving his beautiful house behind.

Beit Zeinab Khatoun

Hidden in one of the nooks of Islamic Cairo’s alleys is Beit Zeinab Khatoun; one of the most remarkable houses that has managed to survive through the test of time. The house was named after its last owner, as was the custom for Islamic houses in those days, and is strategically situated at the back of the famous Al Azhar Mosque.

Dating backing to the early 15th century, Beit Zeinab Khatoun is a state of the art Ottoman-era house. It is not as grand as most of the houses built during that era, and is comprised of a simple stone façade with small windows that lack the luxurious wooden mashrabeya windows, except for one single mashrabeya window above the entrance that seems to have been added at a later date.

To the right of the entrance is a small room called maguaz, which is found in most of the houses built at that time. It is mainly constructed to keep the privacy of the household intact from the curious eyes of passers-by. It was probably used to attend to business affairs away from the hustle and bustle of the house’s activities.

The ground floor is laid with clean-cut stones while the upper floors and later additions are made from brick. The maq’ad (an open loggia) is reached through a few steps in the courtyard. At the back of the maq’ad is a smaller space, a

private chamber of the household’s master, with a side access to the harem (women) quarters.

The most impressive hall in the house is the main Harem Qa’a on the first floor, an enchanting hall with exquisite decorations. It is composed of the customary three sections: Durqa’a (central section) with two unequal iwans (sitting area) from each side at a higher level. In the middle of the marble tiled flooring of the durqa’a is a state-of-the-art mosaic inlaid octagonal fountain.

The house’s spacious courtyard, also shared by its neighboring Beit El Harrawi, is now a bustling traditional ahwa (coffee shop), favored by locals and foreigners alike.

Beit Zeinab Khatoun is also famous for staging numerous cultural concerts and events by both prominent and up and coming Egyptian talents.

new terMinaL 2 to oPen Mid 2013

As part of the ambitious plan to upgrade Egypt’s civil aviation facilities, which began in 2002, Terminal 2 will be closed until 2013 for complete renovation. The facility will open next year to host 8.5 million interna-tional passengers per year.

Other current projects in the works include the new Seasonal Terminal for 3.5 million Passengers/year, a multi-story car park with capacity of 3,000 cars and the Automated People Mover for moving 2,000 pas-sengers/hour within 10 minutes from T1 to T3. Further ongoing developments include a 5-star Hotel and an Extended Metro Line linking Cairo Airport with Giza.

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The palace, along with its significant complex of buildings, annexes and gardens, was built on a huge rectangular plot and lies near al-Salibba street and around the corner from Sabil Umm Abbas behind the Citadel.

During the conservation project, an unexpected discovery of the water supply system was made. The system includes a water wheel, aqueducts and cisterns, showing how the water distribution system was at the time.

One of the original ceilings remaining in the palace is that of the north-west iwan in the main qa’a; the paintings and decorative elements show Bahri-Mamluk characteristics while the opposite iwan seems to date back to the 15th century as it is in relatively better condition.

Nowadays, the palace is a thriving cultural spot that holds regular concerts and cultural festivals.

Beshtak Palace

An architectural wonder of the 14th century, Beshtak Palace was built in the Mamluk era and is one of the remaining domestic residences from the period. The palace, located on Al Mu’izz li-Din Allah Street, was built by Prince (Amir) Beshtak Al-Nasiri between 1334 and 1339, where the Eastern Fatimid palace used to stand.

You will find two stories of this palace down a small alleyway and through an arch in old Islamic Cairo. It is a popular site to visit due to its small yet interesting museum, showcasing the history of Cairo. Make sure to spend some time in the stunning hall of the palace. The courtyard and the stables are also attractive but the really impressive elements to note are the mashrabiya screens on the many windows to what was once one of Cairo’s busiest streets and the stained glass windows of the pointed arches on the second floor, with their gilded and painted wooden paneling.

Gayer Anderson Museum

The Gayer Anderson museum is adjacent to the Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque in the heart of the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood. Named after its last resident Major R.G. Gayer Anderson Pasha, this architectural gem is home to a vast collection of Anderson’s furniture, carpets and curios.

Anderson lived in the house from 1935 to 1942, and was a British officer in the Egyptian army, with a deep love and passion for Egypt, its people and its culture.

As a result of the house’s cultural and historical significance, the house was renovated and transferred into one of Old Cairo’s most visited museums.

The museum consists of two houses built next to one another, using the outer wall of its neighboring mosque as support.

The house on the eastern side, the larger of the two, was built in 1632 by Mohamed Ibn Al Hajj Salem ibn Galman Al Gazzar. Shortly after, its doors welcomed a new owner; a wealthy woman from Crete, which garnered the house the name Beit Al Kritliya or the House of the Cretan Woman. The house on the western side, known as Beit Amna bint Salem, was built in 1540 by Abdel Qader Al Haddad.

The two houses are joined by a little bridge on the third floor and are collectively known as Beit Al Kritliya.

Each room is characterized by a different Islamic style of furniture. For example; a traditional Arabian reception, a Turkish dining room, Syrian bedrooms, medieval kitchen and a typical home library.

A big fountain centers the courtyard. The summer living room is found on the first floor and is made up of two joint bridges supported by a column. The summer living room leads up to the Salamlik area, which consists of two above ground level arcades, which make up the durqa’a. Each arcade is provided with a mashrabeya window that is intricately designed against a silk cushion clad bench. The walls are decorated with antique swords and classical guns.

There is a corridor that joins the Salamlik leads to the Haramlik. The Haramlik is set apart by scores of mashrabeya windows that enable the women to seewhat is happening in and out of the house, without being seen. The Haramlik also has its own private summer living room.

A few steps from the roof lies Anderson’s Persian room. It consists of a wooden bed with columns inlaid with ivory and pearl.

Parts of the James Bond film “The spy who loved me” was shot in the house’s reception hall and on its rooftop terrace.

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around the world in French, English and Spanish.

El Geneina Theater, Azhar Park, Salah Salem Rd.

Tel: (02) 2362 5057

Time: 8 pm

5th

Zapp 4 (Netherlands)

Zapp 4 is a band with the line-up of a string

quartet. It combines groove, improvization, and

fantasy with passionate solos. On stage, they

interact with high speed and have a huge musi-

cal spectrum. Another striking item about the

quartet is that all four members compose for the

band.

The uniqueness of the group and its repertoire

makes Zapp 4 very acceptable for a large audi-

ence including all sorts of music lovers.

Prince Taz Palace, 27 Seyoufeya St., off Saleeba St.

Khalifa.

Tel: (02) 2514 2581

Time: 8 pm

Classic Music

Cairo Symphony Orchestra presents Rossi-

ni’s “Overture to La scala di seta,” Schumann’s

“Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” and Men-

delssohn’s “Symphony No. 3” in A minor. Soloist:

Magda Emara (piano).

Conductor: Andreas Spoerri

Main Hall, Cairo Opera House

Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

6th

Modern Vocal Jazz

Adam Miller Group

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

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time:10 pm

11th

Ajam - Iran/UK

Ajam is a London-based band that was formed

formally in early 2010 as an off-shoot project

from the ‘Simorgh’ group. In addition to the raw

energy of tribal and ritual music that inspires

their sound, elements of the dance and move-

ment is incorporated into live shows. Ajam try to

bring the epic, energetic, and often aggressive

spirit of the regional music of Iran to this gener-

ation.

Jesuits Cultural Center, Alexandria

298 Port Said St. Alexandria

Tel: (03) 542 3553

Time: 9.30 pm

9th & 20th

Ensemble Linea

Founded by pianist and conductor Jean-Philippe

Wurtz in Strasbourg in 1998. The artistic projects

of Linea cover quite diverse aesthetic perspec-

tives – from musical theatre to electronic music,

from Western music to the rich Asian reper-

toires. Playful, theatrical, specialized and explo-

sive, they have always assured the Ensemble a

solid reputation for dynamic staging. Conductor:

Guillaume Bourgogne

Small Hall, Cairo Opera House and Alexandria Opera

House respectively

Time: 8 pm

20th

Piano Recital - Francesco Tristano

A personality so atypical of a pianist, an auda-

cious virtuoso with an incomparable technique,

Tristano has established himself as one of the

greatest talents of the young generation. In recit-

als, he mixes styles and genres, plays his own

compositions or re-invents those of others.

Prince Taz Palace, 27 Seyoufeya St., off Saleeba St.

Khalifa.

Tel: (02) 2514 2581

Time: 8 pm

21st

Improvisation – Frances-Marie Uitti (Violoncello),

Ayman Fanous (Guitar, Bouzouki)

The composer and performer Uitti pioneered a

revolutionary dimension to the cello by trans-

forming it for the first time into a polyphonic

instrument capable of sustained chordal and

intricate multi-voiced writing. Fanous is the

only guitarist to bring both classical and fla-

menco guitar technique into contemporary free

improvization.

El Sawy Cultural Wheel, end 26 July St. Zamalek

Time: 8 pm


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Art

1st - 24th

Drawings by Salah El Mur & Soad Abdel Rasoul

A co-production of more than 100 small-sized

works on display of the Sudanese artist El Mur

and Egyptian Abdel Rasoul. The exhibition ques-

tions the relationship between the physical

nature of human beings and their psychological

and metaphysical state of being in connection

with a certain body or shape.

Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art,

8 Champollion St. Downtown.

Tel: (02) 2578 4494

Opening Times: Daily except Friday, 11 am to 8 pm

1st - 31st

Photographic Exhibition -

Nubia Before the Flood

The black and white photographs in this exhibit

were taken in the early 60s by Abdel Fattah Eid

as part of a project to document Nubian cul-

ture before the valley was submerged by Lake

Nasser. These photographs feature the liveli-

hood, customs and other aspects of the cul-

ture of Nubian villages prior to their move to a

new location after the construction of the Aswan

High Dam.

The Photographic Gallery, AUC, New Cairo

Tel: (02) 2615 3318

Opening Times: Sunday - Thursday 10 am to 5 pm

14th - 27th

New Works & Reworks

Roland Prime and Lucy Westwood. Prime says

that Cairo and its massiveness has dominated

her way of thinking over the last year. Her work

is a response to this and features many works

that try to capture the essence of Cairo. West-

wood’s recent prints capture life on Cairo’s

streets from colorful balconies to food stalls,

mulids and cats.

World of Art Gallery, 6, Road 77c, Golf Area, Maadi.

Tel: (02) 2359 4362

Open daily 10 am to 8 pm, except Fridays

24th - 21st June

The Missing Pieces by Karim Bakry

The months following January 25th have pro-

duced waves of different emotions, but the

undercurrent of disillusionment has been the

most prevalent. “The Missing Pieces,” is employ-

ing shipping boxes and crates to transport a

valuable good: an idea. In these boxes is the sol-

idarity, the will to change, a prospect to fulfill,

waiting to be unpacked.

The exhibition will include two sections: an

installation and a display of photographs

Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art,

8 Champollion St. Downtown.

Tel: (02) 2578 4494

Daily 11 am to 8 pm, except Fridays

Opera

3rd- 4th & 6th - 9th

Rigoletto by Verdi

One of Verdi’s operatic masterpieces in three

acts to a libretto by Francesco Piave. Cairo

Opera Company


Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

22nd- 23rd

The Telephone by Menotti

A comic opera with Cairo Opera Company


Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

Modern Dance

11th

Cavewomen: The Next Incarnation by Dance Bri-

gade (USA)

A primal feast of movement, theater, martial arts,

and taiko drumming, delivered with passion and

biting intellectual wit. The Cave Women series is

Dance Brigade’s antidote to war and the present

state of affairs in the world - a stunning evocation

of female power, a good dose of humor, black

leather and gutsy social commentary.

Since 1975, Artistic Director Krissy Keefer has

refined a form of political dance theater. Keefer’s

signature style combines bold political content,

cutting-edge movement and stunning theater.

Falaki Theatre, 24 El Falaki St. Bab El Louk

Tel: (02) 2797 6373

Time: 8 pm

17th& 18th & 20th - 23rd

Reve Tango

Ballet Tango Reve was first presented by the

Cairo Ballet Company with choreography of

Joseph Russillo in 2007, where he blended clas-

sical dances, modern, jazz and many other forms

with Tango


Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

Music

4th

Music and Singing by Dima Dima (Tunisia)

Dima Dima is an alternative World Music band

formed in 2004. It presents an eclectic mix of

various musical genres from around the globe,

combining occidental rhythms with oriental and

local melodies.

The band produced 12 original tracks in Arabic

and in Tunisian dialect and covers songs from

CALENDARMay 2012

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Cairo Choral Society

Cairo Choral Society will perform music of

Mozart, Haydn and Rameau

The German Protestant Church, Al-Galaa Street and

26 July Street next to the Al-Ahram Building

Tel: Department of the Arts on ext. 1221

Time: 8 pm

21st & 23rd

On 25 - Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble

The concert series “ON 25” was instigated to be

a platform for Egyptian and Arabic musical pro-

ductions, and commissioned works that have

been created after the beginnings of the Egyp-

tian revolution on the 25th January 2011. These

works cast a critical eye on Egypt’s history with

its various cultural influences, and they draw

connections to the current developments

Malak Gabr Theatre, AUC New Cairo

Tel: the Department of the Arts on ext. 1221

Time: 8 pm

Ethnic

2nd, 16th, 30th

Mazaher - Famous custodians of the leg-

acy of musical tradition, such as Zar perform-

ers Om Sameh and Om Hassan join Sudanese

Singer Asia, singer Sayed Imam and Sayed Rek-

abi together with many unique instrumentalists.

Gypsy Music from the Delta joins hands with Zar

songs.

Makan, 1 Saad Zaghloul St. El Dawaween.

Tel: (02) 2792 0878

Time: 9 pm

15th

Arab Tribes from Aswan - Jaafara music and

songs with singer Sayed Rekabi


Tel: (02) 2792 0878

Time: 9 pm

29th

Mawwal and Baladi Songs - Gypsy traditions of

the Delta (Mawawil)


Tel: (02) 2792 0878

Time: 9 pm

Lecture

7th

The Terminology of Egyptian Colors in Context

and Theory by David Warburton Simpson, Pro-

fessor of Egyptology, Department of SAPE

602 Hill House Hall, AUC Tahrir Square.

Tel: (02 2615 1837

Time: 6:30- 8pm

Special Events

8th

Storytelling - Samar with the Revolution

Arwa Othman (Yemen) A story teller and a

researcher in folklore.

Nabil Tammam (Bahrein) Surgeon and Lecturer

at the Arabian Gulf University

Nader El Sayed (Egypt) Famous Egyptian retired

Goalkeeper. He was one of the leading protest-

ers in Tahrir Square, Moustafa Mahmoud St. on

February 3rd 2012.

Ibrahim Alaguri (Libya) A freelance photographer.

Ragab Makry(Tunisia) Theatre performer and a

graduate from the Higher Institute for Drama

Yara Nosseir - Syria. Young cultural activist,

working as project Manager at Abwab for Arts

and Culture Association.

Guevara Nemr (Syria) Worked as a professional

photographer at the Opera House in Damascus.

She joined PROACTION production house as a

producer.

Khaled Abdel Hamid (Egypt) Socialist activist, a

member of the socialist alliance and member of

the executive office of the revolution youth coali-

tion

Yousra Ennouri (Tunisia) An actress and gradu-

ate of the Higher Institute of Dramatic and mem-

ber of L’Atelier D.

Makan, 1 Saad Zaghloul St. El Dawaween,

Downtown

Tel: (02) 2792 0878

Time: 9 pm

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Newsletter of Egypt Tourism May 2012