American University in Cairo
New Cairo Campus
GAPP Executive Education - Room P085
Sun 29, 1-2pm: “CASAR Public Lecture — The New Middle East: Game of Thrones” Join Alaa El-Hadidi, former Egyptian ambassador to Turkey, Russia, and Romania, and professor of practice, for insider insights into current regional power plays.
AUC New Cairo (Multiple Venues)
Sun 29 – Thurs 2 April, 10am-7pm: “Research and Creativity Convention (RCC) 2026”, the RCC provides a platform for researchers, both AUC faculty and students, to promote their work and communicate with their peers. The event enhances knowledge-sharing, encourages interdisciplinary research collaboration and supports projects that help local communities or generate economic value.
To register your attendance, click here: https://forms.gle/T2jeLa9vtueogfp39
For the detailed schedule, click here: https://www.aucegypt.edu/research/convention/schedule
For more information about the RCC, click here: https://www.aucegypt.edu/research/convention
The Sullivan Lounge
Mon 30, 1pm– 2pm: “Contesting the State: Political Theology in Modern Egypt” lecture, by Associate Professor of Fordham University
Sarah Eltantawi, examines how shifting ideas about religion and the state since the end of the Ottoman Empire and the Khedivate have shaped political theology in modern Egypt. Eltantawi is a specialist in contemporary Islam and Islamic law, with a focus in authoritarian and post-colonial contexts. At Fordham, Prof. Eltantawi is a co-coordinator of the minor in Islamic Studies and the co-director of International Studies, both at the Rose Hill campus. She holds a PhD from Harvard University in the Study of Religion (Islamic studies), where she was the Jennifer W. Oppenheimer Fellow, an MA from Harvard University in International Studies (Middle East), and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley in Rhetoric and English literature.
Diwan Bookstore
159, 26th of July St, Zamalek, Tel 01222 40 7084
Tues 31, 7pm: Diwan Zamalek Club will discuss the book White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Tahrir Cultural Centre (TCC)
AUC’s Tahrir Campus, Al-Sheikh Rihan St, off Tahrir Square, Tel 02 2615 2694/01280009077
Oriental Hall
Fri 27 and Sat 28, 9.30am- 4pm: “Trading Patterns in Middle East History, 700-1900: Impacts, Ruptures and Continuities” annual history seminar 2026 will explore ruptures and continuities in trade and its patterns at important junctures and turning points in the region’s history with the aim of reaching better understandings of the different role that trade played in its economies and how this interacted and intersected with different institutions in state and society at various historical periods. The Middle East, and Egypt with its central strategic position within it, has long served as a pivotal hub for regional and global trade, even while agriculture remained a primary resource.
Tahrir Bookstore and Garden
Sat 28 March - Sat 4 April, 10am to 6pm: Join the AUC Bookstores Spring Book Fair and enjoy 20% off on all books, including AUC Press titles—new releases and backlist—along with special offers from AUC Bookstore. The same discounts will be available online at www.aucbookstores.com and have your haul delivered right to your door.
AUC Tahrir Square (Multiple Venues)
Thurs 2 April – Sat 4 April, 2pm –11pm: Get ready to imagine Cairo’s future at this year’s AUC Tahrir CultureFest. Explore how tradition and technology will shape the city’s next era, diving into topics like AI, tech, innovation, business, creativity and art. Held at the iconic Tahrir Square campus, the festival brings together AUC’s community with our friends and neighbours, as well as renowned authors, speakers and performers. The festival features talks, exhibitions, downtown excursions, live performances, book fair, bazaar and children’s programme.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 26 March, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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