Celebration of Crafts and of Art in the City of the Dead

12 December 2015

The opening of the cultural centre in the adapted maq’ad of Sultan Qaitbey in the “City of the Dead” in Cairo is still more than a year away, but cultural events organised by ARCHiNOS in the neighbourhood give a foretaste of what is to be expected. The “Sultan’s Fair” on 11 December 2015 was a chance for the local traditional craftspeople to show and sell their products. It also offered various other attractions. Art on display included graphics inspired by Arabic calligraphy, superb photographs of landscapes and nature of sub-Saharan Western Africa and of metalwork produced by local craftsmen, compositions inventively using nails and screws as their medium, and unique designer accessories and household items. There was a puppet show, and a performance of Sufi chants by the children of the neighbourhood – the result of a ten-days-long workshop—as well as other attractions for both the local children and for numerous and diverse guests.

Following are links to some of the media coverage of the event:

Al-Ahram (Arabic); Egypt Today (English)