Turkish harpist Şirin Pancaroğlu addresses the audience at the concert. Photo courtesy of the Turkish embassy in Cairo.
The harp — among humanity’s oldest instruments — took centre stage in an evening that traced its echoes to ancient Egypt and then Mesopotamia, where it evolved into the Turkish çeng. Blending Western refinement with Eastern depth, the instrument remains a fixture of both nations’ musical traditions, taught in conservatories across Turkey and immortalized in ancient Egyptian art.
Held on 5 October, the concert brought together two leading harpists: Egypt’s Manal Mohie Eldin, one of the country’s most acclaimed performers, and her close friend Şirin Pancaroğlu, a pioneering Turkish harpist.
They were joined by Turkish musician Simin Özdeniz and Egyptian artist Doha El-Garzawy, performing a programme largely devoted to Turkish compositions. The event followed their joint appearance at the 5th edition of the She Arts Festival (3–5 October) at Tahrir Cultural Centre (TCC), where they presented a cross-cultural dialogue in Arabic, Turkish, and classical forms.
Turkish ambassador Şen, musician Özdeniz, harpists Mohie Eldin and Pancaroğlu, artist El-Garzawy, and the ambassador's wife.
Set against the Nile, symbolically linking it to Istanbul’s Bosphorus, the concert drew a diverse, high-profile audience.
Guests were welcomed by Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen and his wife Ayşen Belcik Şen, and included former Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Abbass, Senate Foreign Affairs Committee chair Hazem Omar, Prince Mohamed Ali (grandson of King Farouk), actor Mahmoud Hemeida, Syrian actor Jamal Soliman, tourism expert Amr Badr, and leading figures from Egyptian cinema, music, and media.
Turkish harpist Şirin Pancaroğlu addresses the audience at the concert. Photo courtesy of the Turkish embassy in Cairo.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Şen described the concert as a reflection of “the intertwined musical and cultural heritage of Turkey and Egypt.” He credited the idea to Mohie Eldin and highlighted plans for further artistic collaborations as part of the centennial celebrations.
Şen noted that musical exchange between the two nations runs deep: “Turkish Ottoman music influenced Egyptian music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, while Egyptian music profoundly shaped Turkish music during the 1940s to 1960s.”
He added that an upcoming cultural agreement would expand cooperation in calligraphy, manuscript preservation, intangible cultural heritage, and joint film and television production.
Tourism expert Amr Badr, actor Mahmoud Hemeida with Turkish Ambassador to Cairo Salih Mutlu Şen,
Pancaroğlu, a graduate of the Geneva Conservatory and Indiana University, has performed in more than 30 countries and released 13 albums. Renowned for reviving the historic çeng through her “Turkish Harp” project, supported by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, she has also published a 24-volume sheet music collection in the UK.
Mohie Eldin, a Cairo Conservatory alumna who later trained in Germany, previously served as principal harpist for both the Cairo Symphony and Opera orchestras. Since 2004, she has focused on adapting Arabic music for the harp and currently teaches at the Conservatory, performing internationally from the Louvre to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) events.
Beyond musical mastery, the evening stood as a cultural bridge, its strings resonating with history, diplomacy, and artistic kinship across the Mediterranean.
Ambassador Şen concluded by announcing upcoming embassy events, including an exhibition of caricatures and Arabic calligraphy focused on Gaza, and a nay (reed flute) concert at Cairo’s Manial Palace.
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