"He who forsakes his past is lost," a traditional crafts and antiques festival now in its third edition, is currently being held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina-affiliated Beit El Sennary, located in Cairo's busy Sayeda Zeinab district.

The festival, which opened on 23 September and runs until 30 September, presents a melting pot of Egypt's artisans, bringing together handmade products crafted in governorates across the country.  The festival's main feature is an exhibition spread across the space of the historical Beit El Senary complex, with a program of workshops and performances running in tandem.

The fair features a varied group of participants, including the Indian Embassy, the General Authority for Cultural Palaces, the Culture Development Fund, The Fowa Development Association for Handmade Rugs and Carpets, the Alexandria-based Royal Crown Club, and others.

The idea behind the festival is to chronicle and preserve the diversity of Egypt's traditional crafts, while also building a national archive for the country's multifaceted contemporary folk arts.

In continuation of India's strident efforts to expose Egyptian audiences to Indian folk culture and arts, this year's festival includes a strong Indian component.  Indian crafts, including examples of traditional musical instruments, are showcased inside the Beit El Senary courtyard.  In addition, a number of workshops and performances will bring Indian dance, fashion, and henna to Cairo.

The Fowa Development Association for Handmade Rugs and Carpets, a charity organisation that produces handmade wool and kilim carpets made from natural pigments and materials, features prominently this September at Beit El Senary. The Fowa community, located in Kafr El-Sheikh – once one of the most prominent cities in ancient Egypt – is a patron of the waning art of manufacturing handmade kilims.

Draped across the complex's second floor balcony is a selection of rugs displaying the different styles and patterns of the Fowa craftsmen. Many of the carpets boast desert colors: earthy browns, greens and oranges are used to portray men on camels against serene landscapes. Another carpet depicts the bust of the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti against a night-sky blue background. Other rugs are patterned with geometric shapes and neutral colors.

The General Authority for Cultural Palaces has also contributed to this year's festival, organising various workshops leading up to the fair.  It also has tables lining Beit El Senary's walls, displaying a range of ornamental and stained glass vases and an impressive selection of wooden sculptures.

Traditional crafts, mainly consisting of decorative pottery created at the Foustat Traditional Crafts Centre, are also on display. The Foustat craft centres are affiliated with the Culture Development Fund, and are set up to help local artisans refine their skills. Inspired by ancient Islamic arts, these traditional crafts seek to ensure that Egypt's rich heritage is incorporated into its present.

The New Valley governorate, in partnership with International Cooperation South South, also contributed a group of crafts created in the Kharge and Dakhla oases. This is part of a larger push to promote sustainable tourism development in the area.

Juxtaposed against the recently produced, historically-influenced crafts is a showcase of antiques representing the lives of Egyptians from over a century ago.

On loan from the private collection of the Alexandria-based Royal Crown Club, this spread of antiques includes everything from 1950s film posters to street signs, shaving tools, and much more.  

This window into the past represents a sort of un-narrated documentary on life in colonial Egypt. The showcased materials cover an eclectic selection of items, including communication tools, wardrobe articles, and household knick-knacks.

Strewn across the room is a large calculator, bulky flashlights, oddly-shaped cameras, and antique typewriters; all coated in layers of dust.

It is like stumbling into a dusty vessel of history.

"These objects document the daily lives of Egyptians in a different era," says Royal Crown Club director Raafat El-Khamsawy. "We are trying to cultivate awareness of Egypt's heritage, so that the upcoming generations are familiar with their history."

Despite the eclectic range of crafts and objects hosted by the festival, the exhibition is severely lacking in annotations and historical background. If the goal is to educate Egyptians about the rich layers of their country's modern history, then future editions of the festival would benefit from a stronger educational component, such as seminars and lectures.

The exhibition runs until Monday, 30 September at Beit El Senary.