Turathi photo competition honours Egypt’s architectural heritage in seventh edition

Amira Noshokaty , Sunday 26 Apr 2026

Egypt has announced the winners of the seventh Turathi photography competition, showcasing nearly 7,500 images documenting the country’s architectural heritage across 26 governorates.

Turathi competition turns 7, photo courtesy of NOUH

Last week, Egypt announced the winners of the Turathi photo competition’s 7th round at the Art Palace, located on the premises of the Cairo Opera House.

Egyptian Minister of Culture Gihane Zaki opened the festivity with a speech on the importance of highlighting the value of beauty in our society. Her speech was followed by shorter ones by Ibrahim Saber, Cairo governor, Mohamed Abu Seada, CEO of the National Organization of Urban Harmony (NOUH), and Khalid Taher, founder and CEO of Phlog photography platform.

Turathi competition is the brainchild of Abu Seada. It focuses on photographs documenting Egypt's heritage buildings. This year, NOUH teamed up with Phlog photography platform, and the result was 7492 photos representing all 26 governorates.

This year’s prizes totalled EGP 150,000, divided among several themes. Mariam Ashraf won the prize for the ‘On Our Way’ theme, Ghada Abdel Mohsen won an honorary prize for pictures on the same theme. Similarly, Dina Mohsen won the prize for the ‘Windows that Remember’ theme, while Ahmed Shaaban won an honorary prize for presenting pictures on the same theme. Hagar Abdel Hamid and Ingy Farahat won the prize and honorary prize, respectively, for their pictures on the ‘Still There’ theme. Marcello Sami's pictures won the prize for the ‘Shadows and Reflections’ theme, while those of Mona Hassan won an honorary award for representing the same theme.

On the other hand, Ahmed Mostapha won the prize in the 'People and Place' photo projects category, while Omar Shalabi won the honorary prize for photos on the same theme. Similarly, Samar Bayoumi won the prize for photos representing the theme ‘The Walls can Hear.’

Moreover, apart from the competition, Turathi honoured designated artists for their outstanding achievements in safeguarding and documenting heritage buildings, including renowned photographer Yehia Al Alaily and established architect Ramzy Makram Ebid, who documents the architectural gems of Egypt in his video series The Local Show.

The event also celebrated esteemed professor Mohamed El-Kahlawi, professor of Islamic Antiquities and head of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, for his outstanding achievements in safeguarding heritage.

A large photo exhibition was held following the ceremony, which showcased 308 photographs from 153 Egyptian photographers. Some photos were screened on projectors, while others were shown on short video reels. The rest were exhibited as printed, framed photographs.