Egypt recently came alive with the fourth Aragouz Festival, which took place from 1 to 8 July. The festival commenced at Cairo’s Al-Sennari House and concluded in Alexandria.
Charming, colourful illustrations that waltz between time and space were on display. These vivid scenes were part of a leather-covered, handcrafted storybook titled News of Crypts and Corridors and Stories of Sycamore Trees.
Allo Ya Masr, or Hello Egypt, is the famous phrase that you would usually hear out loud if any of your neighbours were fortunate enough to have a telephone. In the 19th century, the idea of having a telephone that would connect people across the same country, let alone across the globe, was revolutionary.
The iconic metal bridge, the Manial Palace, the Nile metre, and all the stories scattered along the Nile banks were on display last week at the premises of the Oriental Hall on the AUC Tahrir Campus.