Author: Abo Elhasan Abd Elsattar
In one of the quiet alleys branching off from Khnum Temple Street in the city of Esna, south of Luxor, the smell of roast duck wafts through the air, mingling with the aroma of Esna lentils and the flavor of fish and shululu, while women’s laughter echoes from inside a small building with a mud-colored facade. and its doors decorated with simple Nubian carvings. Here stands Okra, not as a traditional restaurant, but as a women’s heritage project that has restored Esna’s lost flavor and brought the voices of its women back to the table. Okra is the first traditional…
At six in the morning, Ahmed Abdo Al-Najjar, 67, sets off on his cart, carrying his old wooden plow. Behind him walk two brown cows, the real engine of this plow that resists the passage of time. Ahmed arrives at the field, carefully unloads his tools, and ties the yoke around the cows’ necks with unerring skill, and they stand quietly, as if they know that it is time to work. On the other side stands Nasser Abdel Hadi, the landowner, carrying a bucket full of corn seeds.
In a unique initiative aimed at reviving Pharaonic heritage and teaching new generations the ancient art of sculpture, artists Barakat Hamza and Mahmoud Yassin, both from western Luxor, have launched the first school and exhibition dedicated to teaching the art of Pharaonic sculpture in the historic village of Hassan Fathy in the Qurna district. The village is an ideal location for this project, as it is famous for its distinctive mud houses designed by the great architect Hassan Fathy to be a model of authentic architecture, giving the school a heritage dimension and a visual presence in harmony with the…
On a warm evening in Luxor, the Bahaa Taher Cultural Palace was bustling with life in a different way. It was not a poetry evening, nor a traditional performance, but rather an unprecedented event in Upper Egypt: the first dance theater performance to bring together children and the elderly in an artistic and humanitarian demonstration entitled “We Walk Together.” Thirty participants, including grandmothers and grandchildren, mothers and young girls, retired men and children in the prime of their lives, gathered on stage not only to dance, but to restore the forgotten idea of “human connection” through moving bodies, beating hearts,…
King Farouk’s Farm in the village of Tafnis al-Mata’ana, south of the city of Esna in the governorate of Luxor, is one of the oldest and most famous farms in Upper Egypt. It covers an area of 65 acres and grows a variety of crops, including citrus fruits, dates, and mangoes. Mangoes are one of the farm’s most famous crops, grown on an area of approximately 25 acres and producing multiple high-quality varieties. The farm was established in 1932 during the reign of King Farouk. At that time, it was owned by the royal family, until it became the property…