Hey there,

We hope you’ve been finding small moments to slow down, maybe even to finally pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read. But we get it, it’s not easy when fifty new tasks land in your inbox marked urgent.

Hang in there, there’s only one month left before you can finally send that long-awaited “out of office” email.

This week, we’re diving into how an artist’s appearance can completely mislead our perception of their sound. Someone carrying a traditional oud, for instance, might give the impression that they’re devoted solely to classical or folk music. Yet the oud has proven endlessly versatile, capable of bending and blending into jazz, rock, and beyond.

Also, Egyptian Streets has officially opened Early Access for people based outside of Egypt to its first ever limited-edition merchandise collection, created in collaboration with four independent Egyptian artists whose work brings everyday Egypt to life in original, meaningful ways.

We hope you enjoy reading!

Warm regards,

Mirna Abdulaal

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Spotlight

^{Meet Ahmed Saber}

There is so much energy in Egypt’s streets, homes, and villages that no single artwork could ever truly capture it all. To draw Egypt is not just to sketch its buildings or people, but to bring its pulse to life and to add a sense of movement, noise, and electricity to the scene. That’s exactly what Egyptian artist Ahmed Saber does; through his art, he captures the life and spirit that make Egypt feel endlessly alive. Discover his work here.

Speaking to Egyptian Streets, Ahmed shared more about his cultural picks and work below:

What routines or rituals help spark your creativity?

One of the rituals I follow to stimulate my imagination and artistic creativity is visiting historical and culturally rich sites, such as ancient Egyptian temples and locations tied to folk heritage. These places are not merely physical remnants of the past, but rather visual and spiritual reservoirs that help me tap into collective memory and engage with cultural legacy on a sensory level. I find that such experiences open the door to surrealistic expression, allowing me to deconstruct symbols and reassemble them through contemporary visions.

How did you come to develop your unique artistic style?

The development of my artistic style unfolded through several intertwined stages, beginning with my enrollment at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Luxor in 2004, continuing through my graduation in 2009 with highest honors, and my appointment as a teaching assistant, culminating in earning a PhD in the philosophy of art.

From the outset, my work leaned toward modern surrealism infused with distinctly Egyptian features. This direction gradually took shape through continuous artistic practice, experimentation, and exposure to the works of contemporary international artists, as well as sustained reading across various fields of art theory and aesthetics. Additionally, my interest in modern artistic materials and techniques played a crucial role in expanding my expressive tools, enabling me to continuously evolve my visual language and reinterpret traditional elements within contemporary compositional frameworks.

Are there particular emotions that guide or influence you while painting?

There is a persistent force that shapes my artistic practice: a deep-seated fear of losing Egyptian identity, particularly the rich cultural heritage of Upper Egypt. This concern continuously drives me to preserve and reimagine that heritage visually, through artworks that are directly rooted in the cultural environment I was born into. I was born in Sohag in 1987, and from an early age, I was immersed in the customs and traditions deeply embedded in the social fabric of Upper Egypt.

These early impressions greatly influenced my artistic personality and shaped my expressive perspective. This connection to place and memory deepened during my studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Luxor, where the historical grandeur of ancient Egypt is ever-present through monuments such as Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Kings, and many others. These encounters formed within me a heightened creative state, turning art into a means of safeguarding and reimagining our cultural heritage. Through visual storytelling that draws on myth, symbol, and folk imagery, I strive to express and reconstruct this profound history through a personal and contemporary lens.

How do you express Egypt through your artwork?

I express Egypt in my artwork by portraying the authentic social reality of Upper Egypt, focusing on the depiction of ordinary people in their daily lives, especially through their traditional Saidi garments, which carry rich cultural and aesthetic significance. Popular markets in towns like Esna and Qurna are a constant source of visual inspiration, serving as vibrant spaces filled with gestures, interactions, and moments that reflect the fabric and spirit of southern Egyptian society.

Additionally, I place particular emphasis on incorporating Egyptian animal symbolism into my compositions. Figures such as the fish, symbolizing prosperity; a motif rooted in ancient Egyptian belief systems and echoed in both folk art and Coptic iconography. I also frequently depict the camel as a symbol of patience, the rabbit representing fertility, and the lion embodying strength. These animals are not merely natural elements but serve as symbolic entry points into a broader visual narrative that reinterprets Egyptian heritage through a contemporary lens.

Is there a project that holds special meaning for you, and why does it stand out?

One of the projects I hold most dear is titled “El-Maqam”, which explores the themes of folk saints’ festivals (mawalid) and popular shrines, through a visual lens shaped by Sufi and surrealist sensibilities. The project draws its core imagery from the Mawlid of Sheikh Abu El-Haggag in Luxor, located adjacent to the ancient Luxor Temple, a major cultural event in the city where spiritual rituals, communal traditions, and popular symbolism converge.

In this body of work, I focused on depicting the central celebratory ritual known as “El-Dawra”, in which the people of Luxor parade through the streets, pulling wooden carts that carry children, forming a collective procession. Camels adorned with traditional fabrics carry a symbolic howdah (hodag) representing the revered figure of the saint. This vivid and layered spectacle, rich in ritual, spiritual symbolism, and popular expression, provided fertile ground for producing a series of artworks that channel the energy of the event into a surrealistic, Sufi-inspired visual language, merging symbolic abstraction with lived cultural memory.

Merch Drop

^{Limited-Edition Merch Drop}

Egyptian Streets has officially opened Early Access for people based outside of Egypt to its first ever limited-edition merchandise collection, created in collaboration with four independent Egyptian artists whose work brings everyday Egypt to life in original, meaningful ways.

The Early Access window is currently available for global audiences only. A dedicated Egypt-based launch will follow soon, with local pricing and production being finalized to ensure affordability and availability inside Egypt.

This collection is more than apparel. Each piece carries stories that feel familiar. The humor we inherit. The sayings our parents repeat. The street scenes we pass without thinking. The warmth and chaos that shape us.

Read more here.

Feature

^{Reinventing the Oud}

Joseph Tawadros’ journey with the oud is a story of tradition being stretched beyond its boundaries. Rooted in Egypt’s rich musical heritage and inspired by icons like Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez, Tawadros has reimagined the oud not just as a classical instrument, but as a bridge between cultures. He blends its traditional sound with improvisation, jazz, and even orchestral collaboration, showing that an instrument deeply tied to history can still feel fresh and alive today.

For Tawadros, tradition is not a set of rules but a starting point. His music reflects a dialogue between the past and present, between Egypt and his Australian upbringing, proving that authenticity does not mean staying static.

Read the article here.

What to Read

^{Cairo-New York}

It is not so common to read a book that includes a collection of letters, but this is exactly why we’re recommending this book, because letters often feel more intimate and personal. This book is a collection of letters exchanged over seven years, from 2018 to 2025 between two friends. Yet, each time they returned to corresponding through Facebook, it was as if each of them was searching for something they could only find in confiding, writing, and speaking to a friend who understood the comfort they were missing. The letters that emerged were strikingly honest, sometimes innocent, sometimes full of humor. They simply shared questions, affection, confusion, and attempts at understanding, unaware that fate would one day gather these letters into a book that would become a companion for the days to come.

Read more here.

What to Listen to

^{Ya Albi Ya Khali}

“Ya Albi Ya Khali” by Abdel Halim Hafez feels surprisingly modern, even a little like early rock and roll with its unexpected beats. Back then, Egypt was experimenting with new sounds and ideas, and Abdel Halim was right at the forefront, blending traditional melodies with something fresh and exciting. The song really captures the energy of the moment; it is like you can feel the country itself pushing boundaries and trying something new, making it feel way ahead of its time.

Listen here.

What to Watch

^{We, the Youth of Iran}

Her name became a rallying cry across the world: Jina Mahsa Amini, just 22, whose life was cut short on 16 September 2022 after being detained by Tehran’s religious police.

Her image and story came to embody the struggle for basic civil rights in Iran, sparking a wave of protests led by the country’s youth, a movement met with brutal suppression in the fall of that year. Though arrests and executions eventually stifled the visible momentum, they could not contain the deeper, more enduring shift she inspired: a cultural awakening among Iran’s Gen Z, a revolution that continues to ripple through society.

Watch it in Egypt here and in the US here

What to Drink

^{It’s Hot Chocolate Season!}

The moment we’ve been waiting for is here…hot chocolate season! And that means it’s finally time to cozy up with your favorite cup (ours is from Moko) and let that first warm sip of chocolate melt away all your worries. If you have a go-to spot for hot chocolate, drop us a note, we’re always looking to add more delicious stops to our list.

Find out more here.

What to Visit

^{Forever is Now}

“Forever is Now 05” takes you on a journey across the Giza plateau, letting contemporary voices play with the myths and history of these iconic monuments. As you wander among the Pyramids, the exhibition asks fun but big questions: What stories are we leaving behind? Which truths, or myths, will stick with the future? In a world that’s always changing, these timeless giants watch over us, nudging us to think about how today’s moments might become tomorrow’s legends.

Find out more here.

Saudi Spotlight

^{Red Sea Turns into a Food Basket}

For generations, the story of food in Saudi Arabia has been a story of imports. The Kingdom’s geography, a vast expanse of sun-scorched desert, rich in oil but poor in freshwater, made large-scale agriculture a near impossibility.

The sun, a source of life elsewhere, was a relentless adversary, scorching the life from the soil. Food security was synonymous with port logistics and foreign supply chains, a vulnerability exposed by every global disruption.

Vision 2030 aims to tear up that old story. But this isn’t just a Saudi challenge; it’s a global one. As climate change accelerates, vast swathes of the planet are becoming more arid. The world is increasingly looking like Saudi Arabia. This context makes the Kingdom’s response not just a national project, but a potential blueprint for an increasingly thirsty world.

Read more here.