Author: Amany Ebrahim
The Israeli occupation’s impact on Lebanon’s ancient soul, detailing the systematic destruction of UNESCO-listed Roman, Crusader, and Phoenician landmarks from Tyre to Shama.
A retrospective on the life of Dr. Zeinab Al-Sajini, a matriarch of the Egyptian visual arts who transformed the sanctity of motherhood into a lifelong odyssey. This feature traces her fusion of folk heritage with magical realism, and her role in carving a modern identity for the Arab avant-garde. By Amany Ibrahim
In a pile of trash in Old Dongola, archaeologists found a discarded letter that proves the existence of a semi-legendary king. The 17th-century document is now rewriting what we know about the transition from Christian to Islamic rule in Sudan
Deep in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, researchers have discovered nearly 30 ancient Indian inscriptions, including the phrase “I came, and I saw.” The finding revises our understanding of trade, travel, and tourism between India and Egypt 2,000 years ago.
The British Museum has sent 80 Egyptian and Greek artefacts to India for a three-year loan—but when photos showed the Rosetta Stone among them, Egypt and Greece were left asking a pointed question: Why are our most iconic treasures being used to repair Britain’s relationship with a different former colony? Amani Ibrahim reports.
Egypt has recovered a trove of stolen antiquities from Australia and the United States, unveiling new details of an international smuggling network that for years trafficked artefacts looted from tombs and official storerooms. The investigation exposes how a single criminal group allegedly used forged documents, online auctions, and a web of dealers to launder Egypt’s heritage onto the global art market.
In his exhibition ‘A Festival, O World,’ visual artist and scholar Mohamed El-Behiry navigates the mystical spectacle of Egypt’s street carnivals, weaving doctoral research on surrealism into a vibrant tapestry of personal and collective heritage. Through 31 paintings and sculptural works, he bridges Cairo’s avant-garde past with its living folklore, offering no easy answers—only portals to wonder. Moulid as Inspiration At the heart of Egyptian cultural tradition lies the Moulid, a vibrant street festival that honours a Sufi saint. This celebration is a profound communal tapestry, a spiritual gathering, a pilgrimage, a public feast woven with music, performance, and shared…
The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, built on 120 acres at a cost of $1 billion, prompted scholars to demand the return of artifacts stolen from Egypt. The Netherlands took the initiative to return a stone statue that had been illegally removed from Egypt, in addition to recovering 36 artifacts that had been smuggled across the US border, after undergoing intensive investigations. Although these pieces passed from one dealer to another before ending up in famous museums, the main culprit was British antiquities dealer Robin Symes, who oversaw an international network for smuggling antiquities. The process of recovering looted…
“The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM): Egypt’s historical legacy comes back to life.” This is how the international press celebrated the upcoming opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, describing it as the largest museum dedicated to a single civilization in the world. It is the most prominent cultural event of the decade, scheduled to open on November 1, 2025, drawing the world’s attention to Giza, where the new tourist walkway connects the museum to the pyramids.
The Fayoum portraits remain a great artistic mystery, a subject of artistic and scientific study around the world. They are still surrounded by questions: What do these realistic faces reveal about identity and status?