Italian Cultural Institute

3 El-Sheikh El Marsafy St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2735 5423/2735 8791

Thurs 7, 6pm: "Verrucci Bey" conference is held on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Ernesto Verrucci Bey, a key figure in Italian and Egyptian history and in the dialogue between the two cultures. It is accompanied by a one-day photographic exhibition presenting the context in which Verrucci worked, in light of recent historical/architectural studies. The conference that will be conducted in English will feature three speakers: professor Flavia Orsati, art critic and academic board member of the Heritage International Institute, professor Paolo Girardelli, professor of History of Art and Architecture at the Department of History, Boğaziçi University, and Heidi Shalaby, professor of Urban Construction at the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering at the Zagazig University and Head of Central Administration of Technical Affairs, National Organization for Urban Harmony at Ministry of Culture. Emigrating to Egypt when he was only 23, Verrucci quickly attained prestigious positions, culminating in his appointment as Chief Architect of the Royal Palaces by King Fouad. A key player in the renewal of Egyptian institutions and the architectural revival of cities, he also influenced the customs, economy and culture of the time. The exhibition not only reconstructs his biographical events, artistic and architectural works, and archaeological discoveries, but also outlines the complex diplomatic and cultural interactions of his life, offering an overview of Egyptian social dynamics in the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Italian Archeological Centre 

14 Champollion Street, Tahrir Square, Downtown, Cairo

Wed 13, 6pm: "Sufism in Italian Perspective: The Architect Mario Rossi and Sheikh Abu El Abbas Al-Moursi", lecture is on the exceptional relationship that brought together two historical figures who lived in Alexandria 700 years apart: the Andalusian Sheikh Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi (1219-1287), the most prominent figure in the Shadhili Sufi order, and the Italian architect Mario Rossi (1897-1961), who built the Abu Al-Abbas Mosque in the 1940s, one of the most important masterpieces of modern Islamic architecture in Egypt. Through a dialogue with novelist and award-winning author and professor of Sociolinguistics at AUC Reem Bassiouni, author of the historical novel Mario and Abu Al-Abbas, she will reconstruct the life paths of the two figures, which were characterized by a deep harmony despite the time and cultural difference. She will explore the artistic and spiritual path that led the great architect to create an architectural masterpiece that expresses in the most sublime images the close relationship extending between Italy and Egypt. The lecture is in English and is available in presence and Online RSVP is FREE to book your place: https://forms.gle/Y2rM2ENanJcBqmwv7 Online attendance is available, through link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82538683010 

Tahrir Cultural Centre (TCC) 

AUC’s Tahrir Campus, Downtown, 24 Falaki St, Downtown Cairo, Tel 012 88721446

Oriental Hall

Sun 10, 6-8pm: "The U.S. Presidential Elections: What is the Impact on the Middle East? public talk by Paul Salem, Vice President for International Engagement at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, will focus on how the outcome of the US election could have an impact on the US policy towards the Middle East; Can the U.S. policy towards the region be changed? How so? With the changing regional dynamics, what is the role of influential regional players such as the Gulf countries in D.C.? With the extension of the war and the weakening of important regional actors, what are the pathways of the Arab-Israeli conflict and how will the new administration handle it?. 

ALEXANDRIA 

The Italian Honorary Consulate in Alexandria

Tues 12, 6pm: "Verrucci Bey" conference marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of architect Ernesto Verrucci Bey (1874-1945), an Italian who spent 42 years of his life in Egypt, where he was appointed Chief Architect of the Royal Palaces by King Fouad, receiving also the title of Bey. A panel discussion will be held by professor Paolo Girardelli, during which he will illustrate Verrucci Bey's journey through the milestones of his public and professional career, highlighting the contest of the eastern Mediterranean architecture as an heritage worth to be rediscovered.  

* A version of this article appears in print in the 7 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly