Kodak Agfa Presents in Photos and Video : The Total Eclipse of a blood moon

Last night, the Earth’s Eastern Hemisphere was treated not only to September’s naturally reddish moon but also to the spectacle of a total lunar eclipse.

Stargazers—myself included—across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe witnessed the Moon glowing blood-red as Earth’s shadow fully engulfed it. It’s not every night that we get such a rare and breathtaking opportunity.

The Egyptian National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) had announced earlier that Egypt and the wider Arab region would witness this eclipse on the evening of Sunday, September 7, 2025, coinciding with the full moon of Rabiʿ al-Awwal 1447 AH.

At the eclipse’s peak, Earth’s shadow covered the Moon completely, with the umbra extending to 136.2% of the lunar disk—a sign of how deeply the Moon was immersed in Earth’s shadow.

According to NRIAG, the entire phenomenon lasted about five hours and 27 minutes. The partial phases stretched over three hours and 29 minutes, while the total eclipse—the moment of the striking Blood Moon—remained visible for one hour and 22 minutes.

In Cairo, the eclipse unfolded according to NRIAG

6:28 p.m. – The Moon enters Earth’s penumbra (not visible to the naked eye). I failed to see it for real as it was cloudy.

7:27 p.m. – Partial eclipse begins, with Earth’s shadow appearing on the Moon’s disk.

8:31 p.m. – Start of total eclipse, with the Moon completely in Earth’s shadow.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Some of Egypt’s Islamic artifacts treasure on Mawlid Al-Nabawi 2025

Happy and Blessed Moulid El-Nabi to all Muslims around the globe

Tonight, nearly one and a half billion Muslims around the world are celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), commonly known in Arabic as El-Moulid, Mawlid El-Nabawy, or simply Al-Mawlid.

El-Moulid El-Nabawy is observed on the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal in the Islamic calendar, which falls on September 4th this year.

This year, I didn’t go to the usual El-Moulid sweets markets in Cairo as the usual Kodak Agfa’s tradition. I couldn’t.

It’s hard for me to film or photograph the celebrations of Mawlid al-Nabawi 2025 in Egypt while genocide is still unfolding in Gaza.

How can we celebrate the Prophet’s birthday when Palestinians—mostly Muslims—are facing famine, as confirmed by the United Nations?

How can I stand among stalls overflowing with sweets and candies when so many Palestinians can’t even find their next meal?

It feels wrong. It feels unethical.

To me, it’s inappropriate, irreligious, and un-Islamic to celebrate in such a consuming, extravagant way. I cannot believe that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would accept Muslims celebrating his birthday with such excess while their brothers and sisters are being slaughtered and starved in an ongoing genocide and famine.

I grew up in an Egyptian family that believed in respect—so much so that if a neighbor lost someone, we lowered the TV volume out of consideration. Today, our neighbors in Gaza are living through genocide and famine. To hold festivities in such times feels nothing but shameful.

The same can be said for Sudan, where people are begging for food aid drops.

That’s why I can’t share new photos or videos of Moulid markets and sweets. Instead I will share some photos related to the Islamic civilization in Egypt.

Days at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo: Hapi of the Nile Flood

Today, Egypt is officially celebrating Wafaa al-Nil or the Nile Loyalty Festival.

If you think this is a newly invented holiday, think again. Wafaa al-Nil is one of the oldest festivals still celebrated in Egypt today, alongside Sham El-Nassim. In fact, it is among the country’s most ancient traditions—dating back over 7,000 years.

Hapi and the River Nile generated by Sora 

The ancient Egyptians linked the festival to the annual inundation of the Nile, which typically began in mid-July and peaked between mid-August and early September. 

The date most often associated with it is August 15, when the floodwaters became clearly visible in Memphis (and later Cairo). The exact timing, however, depended on rainfall in Ethiopia.

Historical evidence traces the festival back as far as the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), with inscriptions and temple reliefs depicting rituals dedicated to Hapi, the god of the Nile’s flood.

On this occasion, I’m sharing a couple of photos of Hapi from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Alexandria Storm: Unusual Weather for This Time of Year "Updated"

For the record, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority did warn of rain on the Western North Coast — but it did not mention that it would be a full-blown thunderstorm capable of paralyzing a city preparing for summer.

A thunderstorm did indeed strike Alexandria and Matrouh, but its impact on Alexandria was especially severe, with the city appearing to be overflooded once again.

According to many Alexandrians commenting online, this was an unprecedented storm — unlike anything they had seen in decades, not even during the winter.

Alexandrians tend to have their own informal calendar for storms, and it seems that tonight’s event doesn’t correspond to any known seasonal patterns.

Kodak Agfa presents: Cairo’s Ramadan Bazaar of Ahmed Maher Street or from Bab El-Khalk to Bab Zuweila Gate aka Taht el-Rab’a “Part.2”

It is like the last day of Ramadan, and I am really sorry to publish the second part of this post only now.

I should have posted earlier if it were not for the Ramadan procrastination, health issues, and work-life balance. It is not too late.

I am sorry that I am posting right now just as we are starting to re-watch the second season of the Gaza genocide again and watch live helplessly.

To be honest I am using this post as more of a runaway to escape the yet again footage and photos of killed children in hospitals.

I pray that when I finish this post a Ramadan miracle happens and ends this nightmare as soon as possible.

Now back to That el-Rab’a and that trip in that street from Bab El-Khalk to Bab Zuweila gate.

We stopped last time at the Ramadan Saint Patrons in Egypt: Bogy and Tamtam

Bogy and Tamtam, the saint patrons of Ramadan in Egypt 

Their facial expression may reflect many things in our time whether domestically or regionally or internationally.

Their statues on the street were like two ancient Egyptian statues guarding some ancient Egyptian King's tomb in some irony.

Despite the younger generations did not watch their shows in Ramadan as my generation had, many of them stopped and took photos with Ramadan’s most famous duo.

Snapping a photo with Bogy and Tamtam

Now you will know that you are near Bab Zuweila gate when you reach its famous walls or rather the walls of the Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad.

Ramadan lanterns in the shadow of
Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad Sheikh and Bab Zuweila

Bab Zuwayla or Bab Zuweila (Arabic: باب زويلة) is one of three remaining gates in the city walls of historic Cairo in Egypt. It was also known as Bawabat al-Mitwali or as Bab al-Mitwali or Bab al-Qus.

Kodak Agfa presents: Cairo’s Ramadan Bazaar of Ahmed Maher Street or from Bab El-Khalk to Bab Zewaila Gate aka Taht el-Rab’a “Part.1”

I initially thought this would be a simple walk down a single street. But I should have known better. We’re talking about a street in Islamic Cairo—layers upon layers of history.

That’s why this post will be divided into two parts.

Ramadan crescent became a lantern too in Taht al-Rab'a 

This year, I decided to explore the street on foot instead of driving, as I did last year when I took Bab El-Khalq to Bab Zuweila via Ahmed Maher Street, historically and socially known as Taht el-Rab’a.

Walking through it is an entirely different experience, especially with the annual Ramadan bazaar taking shape in the middle of Sha’ban, about 15 days before the holy month begins.

Tahte El-Rab’a Street starts at the Cairo Security Directorate—currently undergoing major renovations—and ends at Bab Zuweila.

For more than 150 years lanterns have been made and sold in Taht el-Rab'a 

The street is the heart of Egypt’s traditional handmade Ramadan lantern industry, locally and globally.

It is home to workshops that craft these lanterns from glass and tin, most of them family businesses passed down through generations.

One of the workshops specialized in lanterns, as well as tinware and copperware 

Some of these workshops also produce other tinware and copperware items, as demand for such dinnerware has recently increased.

However, during this time of year, the primary focus remains on Ramadan lanterns.

 

One of the workshops specialized in lanterns, as well as tinware and copperware 

The exact reason why or how Taht El-Rab’a became a hub for lantern-making remains unclear, but historians trace this tradition back about a century and a half.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Cairo’s Umm Kulthum Museum in photos and video

It was like a perfect cinematic moment that Saturday afternoon. Just two days before the 50th anniversary of Umm Kulthum’s passing, you step out of her small yet rich museum in Cairo, still enveloped in the aura of her larger-than-life presence.

Outside, by the Nile, an old yet elegant man sits alone, detached from the world around him. From the small speakers of his mobile phone drifts the voice of Umm Kulthum, chanting "Lailat Hob"—her last recorded love song. He gazes into the river, lost in a trance, as though the currents carry the echoes of his own memories, entwined with the Lady’s immortal voice.

It was a perfect Egyptian scene. I wanted to capture it, to ask him what Umm Kulthum meant to him. But I did not dare, unwilling to be the one to pull him back to reality.

That scene summarizes a lot about Umm Kulthum and Egyptians if not Arabs.

Umm Kulthum's statue outside her museum in Al-Manial island 

On Monday Egypt remembered that 50 years ago it woke up to find its “Planet of East” Umm Kulthum passed away after having

Umm Kulthum died on the same day the music died in the US. She died but her legacy and art still stand as the true fourth pyramid in Egypt.

According to historians and those who witnessed the day, her funeral was a popular one to the level that people compared to the funeral of the second president of Egypt and her lifelong fan Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Yes, Umm Kulthum Ibrahim, the singer who came from rural Nile Delta’s Tamay e-Zahayra village had the biggest public funeral of a woman in Egypt in the modern age if not in the nation’s long recorded history.

I can’t speak about Umm Kulthum or Thuma or the Dame “as we nickname her in Egypt for decades” easily thus I would focus on her museum.

Umm Kulthum Museum is located inside the Nilometer-Manasterly Palace site on Manial Al-Roda Island in Cairo.

Watch This : Seasons & Streets “Christmas in Korba”

This video explains the connection between Korba of Heliopolis and Christmas decorations or how Korba became a Christmas celebration hot zone in Cairo and yes, I post it on the eve of the Epiphany as observed in the Eastern Orthodox Church calendar.

Thanks to a comment in Kodak Agfa's "Christmas 2024 in Korba," we know the history behind Korba's annual Christmas decoration tradition.

The Epiphany celebrated on January 19 in most Eastern Orthodox Churches (January 6 in the Julian calendar, equivalent to January 19 in the Gregorian calendar), commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. 

Kodak Agfa presents : Christmas 2024 in Cairo's Korba

"Tis the season" because it is one of the annual posts Egyptian Chronicles: The Christmas in Egypt post.

Despite the genocides in Palestine and Sudan as well as the developments in Syria and Yemen, I am trying to keep those posts so I would not fall into that dark hole of a depressing news cycle without any hope.

There is always hope

Also, in solidarity with Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and the annual controversial photo of his Christmas tree, I share those photos from Cairo.

God knows I am not a Mo Salah fangirl, but I got bored from the annual attack on Egypt’s national team captain and Liverpool right winger for the wrong reasons.

You can attack and criticize lots of issues, like for instance the lack of true and real support to Gaza and its people. “Salah is said to donate a big sum of money to the Gaza relief but that’s not enough when we are speaking about a true genocide just like other stars like Sam Morsy and Gary Linker”

This year I want to visit the famous Korba area in the Heliopolis district to see its famous Christmas decorations.

Christmas decorations in Korba 

This year, the Korba’s Christmas decorations became the talk of Egypt on social media, specifically that one building.

Christmas decorations in Korba 

This building is on Baghdad Street, which is about two blocks away from the Presidential Palace ala Al-Ittihadiya Palace.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Egypt’s Spring Flowers Show 2024 “91st edition”

Another belated post. How can you post a post about flowers show when there are ongoing genocides whether in Gaza or Sudan, especially Gaza.

Again, I was waiting for a truce, so I can’t post this, but it seems there is no hope.

A truck full of flowers and plants of every type you can imagine 

Also, I went to the Autumn Flowers Show 2024. “Yeah, it turned out that Egypt got one,” and I must share the Spring flowers before I go for the Autumn flowers.

The Spring Flowers Show 2024 was delayed nearly four times as I have read.

It was not inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture as the custom for unknown reasons.

Into one of the partitions in the show

It was not held at its original time on 21 March because it was during Ramadan at that time.

I can’t find a reason why because actually it was used to be held in Ramadan and even with activities after the Iftar.

The show kicked off on 19 May till the last day of Eid Al-Adha which was on 19 June.

Kodak Agfa presents: El-Mawlid bazaar 2024 at Cairo’s El-Sayeda Zeinab in photos and videos

I should have posted weeks ago, but I could not with the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the war on Lebanon by Israel.

It is never too late though. Tonight is actually the Mawlid of Imam El-Hussein so it is a suitable night to share those photos.

God knows when I took the camera and went to El-Sayeda Zeinab to see how the Mawlid El-Nabawi annual bazaar. 

It was an attempt to break the cycle of depressing news.

Yes, it is the same street that I go to every year.

It helped a bit.

It was a good temporary escape so here are the photos and videos from one of Cairo’s biggest Mawlid Al-Nabawi sweets bazaar.

Mawlid Al-Nabawi is the anniversary of Prophet Mohamed's “PBUH” birthday.

It is observed on the 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar, Rabi'i Al-Awal. 

Kodak Agfa Presents: August’s Super blue Moon

Kodak Agfa is back with a supermoon photo.

It is super blue moon but I could not make it blue because it is blue per se

It is August’s Super Blue Moon that the world witnessed on Monday.

What is the Super Blue Moon? “Chat-GPT answer”

A superblue moon is a rare astronomical event that occurs when two unusual lunar phenomena align: a supermoon and a blue moon.

A supermoon happens when the full moon coincides with its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making the moon appear larger and brighter in the night sky.

A blue moon refers to the second full moon in a single calendar month, an occurrence that is infrequent due to the lunar cycle being about 29.5 days long.

When these two events occur together, it's called a super blue moon—a striking sight that captures the imagination, as it combines the rarity of a blue moon with the enhanced visual impact of a supermoon.

At the same time the Super Blue Moon was covering the skies and photographers around the globe, the ongoing genocide in Gaza did stop at night. More children and civilians were killed.

The Palestinians in Gaza did not have the time to enjoy looking to the moon despite most of them being technically without a proper roof.

The ceasefire agreement seemed to be like a “blue moon” as we are hearing reports that Donald Trump asking Netanyahu to reject and sabotage technically any ceasefire deal or any deal by Biden/Harris administration, so the Democrats won’t achieve a bonus.

But at the same time here we are having a blue moon, there is still a hope.

Back to Moulid on Ashura: Yet another old visit to Al-Moulid Market at El-Sayeda Zeinab

It is Ashura, a holy day for not only Muslim Shia but for all Muslims as well as all the believers if you think about it.

According to the popular Islamic Sunni tradition, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Prophet Moses, Prophet Joseph was released from prison, Prophet Noah disembarked from the Ark, God forgave the father of all prophets and all mankind Prophet Adam

Nevertheless, some Muslim religious scholars believe that the only thing that happened on that day was the parting of the Red by Prophet Moses as mentioned by Prophet Mohamed “PBUH” while the rest was not explicitly mentioned.

Some believe that rest was added to the day by the Umayyads to downplay what happened on that day and left a black mark that divided the Muslims into two sects: Sunni and Shia.

On that day, the battle of Karbala occurred where the big Umayyad army led by Yazid stood against the army of the few led by no other Imam Al-Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohamed “PBUH”

On that day, Al-Hussein was martyred defending what can be described now as the right to elect the ruler aka election of a new caliph through shura (consultation) instead of the hereditary rule.

Kodak Agfa presents : Cairo’s Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque and Shrine during Renovations

A very short break and escape from a war that will be our Karbala moment as a nation and on the eve of the re-inauguration of Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque and Shrine after a major renovation, I would like to share with you a couple of photos I took earlier this year to the Mosque while it was still being renovated.

On Sunday, it is expected that the Mosque will be re-inaugurated by the current Sultan of Bohras Mufaddal Saifuddin and Egyptian officials above them expectedly President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque's entrance from Al-Sadd Street in Cairo

The Indian spiritual leader of the Shia sect arrived in Cairo on Saturday and met with El-Sisi.

I think that he made a new record number of visits to Egypt in the past few years that no other Sultan of the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam had made in the past.

The Dawoodi Bohra Shiites are funding the whole renovation process of the mosques and shrines Ahl Al-Beit or Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) Family in Egypt especially in Cairo.

Al-Sayeda Zeinab or Lady Zeinab is Prophet Mohamed’s granddaughter. It is widely believed in Egypt that she came to Cairo in 61 Hijri (680 AD) and lived there till her death. Lady Zeinab was buried in a place that was once part of the Egyptian Gulf.

Lady Zeinab is a holy symbol for Shias as well as the Sunnis, especially Egyptians “We are the Shiaa of the Sunni”.

One of the oldest photos taken in the 19th century of El-Sayeda Zeinab
Mosque in Cairo

Again, I won’t enter the debate about whether Lady Zeinab Peace Upon Her was buried in Cairo or in Damascus but the oldest mention of the mosque as a shrine for the Prophet Mohamed’s Granddaughter or “Mashhad al-Sayyida Zainab” was found in the 4^th century Hijri (10^th century) chronicles of Andalusian traveller “Al-Fassi” to Egypt during then.

Kodak Agfa Presents: El-Sayeda Zeinab Ramadan Market in time of Economic Crisis in video (Bonus : Ramadan Market in Bab El-Khalk)

We are in the last tenth days of Ramadan and here we are with the video I filmed before the Holy Month would start from El-Sayeda Zeinab Ramadan Market or as Western Muslims prefer to call it “Ramadan Bazaar”. I prefer the word “Souk” or “Market” instead of bazaar.

Now as a bonus content here are a couple of photos of another vibrant and active Ramadan Market I discovered to be honest by accident while I was in the car.

Ramadan Lanterns for sale in Cairo's Bab El-Khalk

That market stretched from Bab El-Khalk to the great Cairo’s Bab Zuwaila.

Ramadan Lanterns for sale in Cairo's Bab El-Khalk

Kodak Agfa presents in photos and video: Al-Sayeda Zeinab Ramadan Market 2024 “The Economic Crisis Edition”

“I will shock you, ask me what is the price of this huge red lantern?” The old vendor at Al-Sayeda Zeinab Ramadan Makeshift market told me.

“Shock me” I replied.

That huge big handmade lantern made of cloth is sold for LE 4,000

“It is sold for LE 4,000,” he told me.

This is the price of the largest size of the Egyptian handmade traditional lantern whether made by cloth like the one above or like the traditional glass and tin.

Usually, those sizes are sold to restaurants, companies, embassies and shops as well as exported to other Arab countries.

Ramadan Kareem again

This post is not your usual Ramadan celebratory post celebrating Egypt’s traditional Ramadan lanterns and markets because it comes at a time of economic crisis.

Lanterns sold in front of El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo

Although there has been a ban on imported lanterns since 2015 “I think the ban was older than that” which made the Egyptian traditional lanterns not only survive but also regain their power regionally, the prices of the lanterns went up by 20%-40% compared to the last year.

How to Escape Israeli Shelling in a Gaza Market

Can you imagine the terror of escaping a military bombardment in a densely populated city? 

This is how the Israeli shelling looks like in a civilian area in Rafah

This was the reality for Joe Jayyab, a young Palestinian content creator once dubbed “Palestine’s Youngest Travel Blogger” who turned into a military correspondent.  

A week ago, Jayyab and his brother ventured to a market in Rafah to purchase food supplies.

In a video captured by Jayyab, you can see just how close the shelling is to civilians.

Escaping Israeli shelling

According to Jayyab, Israel was targeting a UNRWA school that had become a refuge for hundreds, if not thousands, of families. Amidst the chaos, people were still attempting to buy their supplies in the market.

#NotNumbers : Late Humans of Gaza “Updated- Graphic material”

"And if they ask you about Gaza... Tell them:  In it, there is a martyr  nursed by a martyr  photographed by a martyr sent off by a martyr  and prayed for by a martyr"

----------------------------------------------------- Mahmoud Darwish on Gaza

With over 6500 people including over 1800 children killed and over 16,000 others injured as the medical care in the city of Gaza is on the verge of total collapse, this blog post is an attempt to give those numbers especially the killed ones a face and a name.

Angels in Gaza by Egyptian illustrator and cartoonist 
Doaa El-Adl 

The victims of the Israeli attack on Gaza are not numbers, they were humans who had names, lives and dreams.

This blog post is dedicated to the humans of Gaza who are not numbers. 

It is updated.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza released a full report with the names of the victims from 7-26 October to fire back at the claims of US President Joe Biden that he did not trust the "Hamas" Health Ministry. 

Here is a link to the full report in Arabic with the information on the victims including full name, ages and gender. In the first two pages, you will find a whole family lost 88 people, a whole bloodline and generations !! 

According to the info released in the period from 7-26 October, 7028 people were killed including 2,193 children 

Warning: Readers’ discretion is advised.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Moulid El-Nabi Dollies and Horses at El-Sayeda Zeinab 2023

Happy Moulid El-Nabi to all Muslims around the globe

Tonight, nearly one billion and a half Muslims around the world celebrate the birthday anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This holiday is commonly known in Arabic as "El-Moulid El-Nabawy" and in Egyptian Arabic colloquial as "Moulid El-Nabi."

El-Moulid El-Nabawy is observed on the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal in the Islamic calendar, which falls on September 27th this year. In Egypt, we will not have Wednesday off because the government declared Thursday a day off since 2020 whenever a public holiday falls on a weekday, exempting Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, and Coptic Christmas.

Moulid Sweet's empty cartoon boxes 

To celebrate Moulid El-Nabi, I visited a makeshift market in El-Sayeda Zeinab, a popular neighbourhood in Cairo. I was originally planning to visit Bab El-Bahr, the centre point of making El-Moulid sweets, to see how the centuries-old authentic Egyptian sweets are still handmade today. However, due to work pressure, I found El-Sayeda Zeinab's market to be a quick refuge, and I am glad that I did.

I found a whole stand dedicated to the original Egyptian sugary Arouset and Housan, also known as sugary dollie and horse in Arabic.

The Moulid dollies and horses stand at El-Sayeda Zeinab

It is widely accepted among historians that the origins of the current Moulid sweets in Egypt, especially Arouset El-Moulid (the "dollie") and Housan El-Moulid (the "horse"), can be traced back to the Fatimid era.

According to legend, in commemoration of the Prophet Mohamed's (PBUH) birthday, the Fatimid Sultan would lead a procession through the streets atop his horse, accompanied by one of his wives dressed in a white gown and adorned with an intricately decorated crown.

The Moulid Housan or Horse with all its decoration

Kodak Agfa Presents : Once in a super blue moon "Updated"

Kodak Agfa is back to photograph the space and whatever appears in our skies, especially on our long summer nights.

Updated on Wednesday: 

Here are a couple of photos from Wednesday night as the Super Blue Moon reached its peak.

A full Super Blue Moon

Super blue moons occur on average every 19 years. The last super blue moon occurred on August 31, 2023, and the next one will occur on May 20, 2026, inshallah.

A full Super Blue Moon

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Earth is having one big Super Blue Moon lightening its night and it is not to be missed

A super blue moon is a special event in the night sky that happens when the moon looks bigger and brighter than usual. As you may have known already if you are a regular friend of Egyptian Chronicles, Supermoons are called "super" because the moon is closer to Earth, making it appear larger.