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.

Happy New Ancient Egyptian Year 6265 from Thoth

Today, on 9/11, we're kicking off the New Ancient Egyptian Year 6265 as per the Gregorian calendar. It's also the start of the Thout month.

The Ancient Egyptian calendar had a close connection to agriculture and the changing seasons.

That's why Thout marked the beginning of the Season of Akhet or flood season a crucial time for farming.

But, there's something else happening as Thout begins. Ethiopia just announced that the government finished filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir on Sunday. This news has left many Egyptians feeling uncertain about what the future holds. The Egyptian government has been vocal in expressing concerns about this, but they haven't shared a clear plan with the public.

In an effort to keep things light and informative, I'll do my best to strike that balance in this post.

Anyhow, on this special occasion, I'd like to share a photo of a statue surrounded by small statuettes

This is the statue of the ancient Egyptian deity Thoth as a sitting ibis.

Thoth statue at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo

I found the statue in 2016 at Gallery No.19 on the Upper Floor of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. Gallery No.19 is dedicated to the ancient Egyptian deities 

Kodak Agfa presents: Egypt’s Spring Flowers Fair 2023 at the Agricultural Museum

Usually, the Ministry of Agriculture holds the annual Spring Flowers Fair from March to April. However, this year, the fair was neither held on time nor in its usual location.

To the surprise, or rather shock, of its regular visitors, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that the Orman Botanical Garden would be closed for renovations right after the Ramadan supplies exhibit in March.

The closure of the Orman Botanical Garden for a major renovation operation has raised concerns among many, including myself.

This renovation also includes the oldest Zoo in Africa and the Middle East, the Giza Zoo. According to reports in the Egyptian media, the renovation process, which is led by the Military Production Ministry and a consortium of foreign companies, is expected to take a year and a half.

This situation is so alarming that it has left me feeling depressed to even speak about it. According to Al-Shorouk Newspaper, both the Orman Botanical Garden and the Giza Zoo will remain open until July 9th before they are closed for renovations to become "One Grand Zoo."

The government cannot close the Giza Zoo during Eid because it is the main attraction for Egyptians during the Eid Adha holiday, and thousands of people from all over the country visit it during this time.

I, along with others who fear losing the zoo as we know it, visited it in the winter. The zoo holds a special place in the hearts of all Egyptians with its classical historical look.

I was hoping to visit Orman Garden during the Spring Flowers Fair, but for the first time in decades, the fair was not held there.

Initially, I believed the fair had been cancelled due to ongoing renovation works and the economic crisis, which had affected imports in Egypt. However, I was mistaken.

It turned out that the fair was indeed held but in a different location.

The 90th Spring Flowers Fair took place at the Agricultural Museum in Giza from May 27th to June 27th, running from 9 AM to 9 PM. The video tour of the fair is at bottom of this post, so yes you must read it to the end. 👼

The Spring Flowers Fair 2023 was held at Egypt's Agricultural Museum in Giza 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the 90th edition of Egypt's longest-running fair saw the participation of over two hundred exhibitors.

The fair displayed more than 1,000 types of plants, including flowers and fruit trees.

Jasmine tree sold at a partition inside Egypt's Spring Flowers Fair 2023

One would expect the Ministry of Agriculture or the government to have promoted the fair more, especially considering it was the 90th edition.

Days at the Egyptian Museum: Hidden Ancient Egyptian Food gems (Happy Sham El-Nassim 2023)

Happy Sham El-Nassim,

Once again, we find ourselves in the midst of Easter, Sham El-Nassim, and Ramadan.

Even though these are official holidays, we cannot celebrate Egypt's oldest feast in the traditional manner. Most Muslims avoid eating salted fish while fasting as it can increase thirst, but we will keep the tradition of consuming salted fish and visiting public green spaces during Eid, which will take place on the weekend inshallah.

For thousands of years, Egypt has celebrated Sham El-Nassim or Shemu to commemorate not only the beginning of spring but also the harvest season.

The river Nile and agriculture played a significant role in shaping the history and traditions of Egypt, both ancient and modern. Despite the spread of Orthodox Christianity in Egypt, Egyptians did not abandon their old feast but instead shifted its date to coincide with the end of fasting after Orthodox Easter.

The Shemu feast survived the Arab rule of Egypt and the spread of Islam, and the name was eventually Arabized to become Sham El-Nassim or "Smelling the Breeze," which became a feast to celebrate spring.

Egyptians gathered and celebrated Sham El-Nassim in various places, including the Egyptian Gulf and Cairo's famous Sadd El-Barani Street.

Deshri's burial chamber from the first intermediate period in ancient Egypt. 
It was found in Giza's Saqqara featuring food and drink representing to
the deceased spirit in the afterlife

On the occasion of Sham El-Nassim, I am honoured to continue sharing some of the hidden gems at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, which many visitors may overlook during their quick visit.

With more than 100,000 priceless pieces in one place “say Mashallah”, the museum holds one of the world's largest collections of ancient Egyptian antiquities.

While most tours focus on the most famous pieces, individual tours provide the opportunity to see lesser-known but more interesting pieces, such as what the ancient Egyptians used to eat.

In conclusion, despite the challenges we face, the spirit of celebration and tradition lives on in Egypt, and I feel privileged to share some of its unique cultural aspects with you.

On the occasion of Orthodox Christianity and Easter Eggs, it is interesting to note that the ancient Egyptians also used to eat eggs.

Exploring Egypt's Wadi El-Hitan and Fossils and Climate Change Museum: In video

I know. I promise you that this would be the finale of the posts series I dedicated to the visit I paid to Egypt’s Wadi El-Hitan or the Valley of the Whales in 2017.

Believe me, this obsession is worth it, the place is amazing and having this place in Egypt makes me so proud.

Now here are a couple of video clips I took at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the Fayoum desert which is 150 km away from Cairo. Warning: Extremely shaky, fast and short video. Turn on the captions, it got English captions and I am working on the Arabic captions as well.

I apologize for the bad filming; I was still a newbie. 

If you like it, please like, share and subscribe because I still record videos of places I visit. “You probably know that already if you are a regular here.”

Featured in the video are Wadi El-Rayan’s man-made waterfalls and the man-made magic lake.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Egypt’s Fossil and Climate Change Museum in Fayoum’s Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate in 2017 (#EP4: A Desert to remember)

We are back in the fourth post of our series about Egypt’s Wadi El-Hitan Climate Change Museum in Fayoum.

In February 2017, I paid a visit to Wadi El-Hitan or the Whale valley in a quick visit to the beautiful Fayoum governorate.

In the first post of this series, we shared the history of Egypt’s fossilized Jurassic Park as well as part of its indoor museum. In the second post, we continued our visit to the very rich indoor museum in the valley. In the third post, we saw part of the very interesting outdoor museum in the desert.

In this part, I am focusing on the outdoor museum’s interior or rather exterior aka the desert where the outdoor museum is located aka the amazing and breathtaking Wadi El-Hitan as well as the way back to Wadi El-Rayan.

Inside Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate 

Aside from the priceless exhibits from millions of years ago, this place is like a haven for those who love desert nature and photography for real.

Formations that were once part of a big continental ocean millions of years ago 

The formations that were once part of the prehistoric ocean bed make you feel small.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Ancient Egypt : From Raherka and Meresankh to the World

Happy Valentine’s Day to all those who are celebrating it sincerely.

Here is another special couple from the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in late 2015: Ancient Egyptian couple Raherka and Meresankh.

Raherka and Meresankh 

Raherka and his wife Meresankh were an ancient Egyptian couple. They were not a Royal couple but rather commoners despite Raherka being actually an important employee in the Royal palace and holding important responsibilities.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Egypt’s Fossil and Climate Change Museum in Fayoum’s Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate in 2017 (#EP3: When the desert turns into a museum)

We are back in the third post of our series about Egypt’s Wadi El-Hitan Climate Change Museum in Fayoum.

In 2017, I paid a visit to Wadi El-Hitan or the Whale valley in a quick visit to the beautiful Fayoum governorate. In the first post of this series, we shared the history of Egypt’s fossilized Jurassic Park as well as part of its indoor museum.

In the second post, we continued our visit to the very rich indoor museum in the valley.

Now we continue our trip in this post to the UNESCO World Heritage Site but this time we visit the outdoor museum.

Inside Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate in Fayoum's desert 

When you finish visiting the indoor museum, you go outside carrying your backpack or whatever but you must have a bottle of water to keep you hydrated and must wear your best hiking shoes because you will have one hell of a hike in the middle of the desert.

You will see why. 

Inside Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate in Fayoum's desert 

Head for the trail in front of you and just imagine that this was a huge ocean bed from millions of years ago.

The road to the outdoor museum and its exhibits from fossils 

The trail takes you up to a hill and seriously it is one of the best hikes I have ever taken so far.

Remembering Professor Hamed Gohar: A long belated respect for an Egyptian and Arab scientist

Google celebrated in the Arab world celebrated on Tuesday the 115^th of Egypt and the Arab’s founding father of oceanography Dr Hamed Gohar with a cute and geeky doodle.

Dr Hamed Gohar featured on 15 November's Google Doodle in the Arab World 

Thanks to Google, many Arab newspapers from the Gulf to the Ocean ran small news reports about who that Egyptian scientist was and how he was the first in his field in the region as well as he tried to spread his knowledge to the public audience through his famous nearly two-decades-long “Sea World” on Channel Two on Egypt’s State-owned TV.

The boy worker who brought a boy King back to life

On that day from hundred years ago, there was a boy who should have been playing like the rest of the boys of his age but instead, he was working alongside his father and his clan in very hard conditions. 

He was commissioned to bring water to a camp and to serve that camp's local workers and those foreigners with tea as they dug and searched in the rocky valley that looks more like a mountain than the usual valley in your mind for old treasures.

Hussein Abdel Rasoul 

His name was Hussein Abdel Rasoul and he was only 12 years old he discovered the first step that led down to King Tutankhamun’s tomb thanks to his water pottery jar according to the legend the rest was a new history by all measures.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Egypt’s Fossil and Climate Change Museum in Fayoum’s Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate in 2017 ( #EP2 : When the desert was a forest )

It is the second episode in Kodak Agfa’s series of Egypt’s Fossil and Climate Change Museum in Fayoum’s Wadi El-Hitan protectorate in 2017.

In the first episode or part, we checked quickly the history of Egypt’s Wadi El-Hitan protectorate and its very fossil and climate change Museum in the heart of Fayoum’s desert. We also knew a lot about when whales swam and walked the land of Fayoum tens of millions of years ago or in other words when the desert was a part of a vest ocean.

I think it is a reason to reshare the famous Fayoum UFO because it is so beautiful.

Fayoum's Fossil and Climate Change Museum aka Fayoum UFO 

Now this post is more about when the desert of Fayoum was a huge forest and dinosaurs roamed the earth but before that, I have to share with you a couple of photos I forgot to share with you when the desert was an ocean.

I know that it is out of focus and I could not fix it for real in those new online AI editing apps but I can’t ignore that full skeleton of Hitan Sea Cow aka Sirenia.

Hitan Sea Cow skeleton

Egypt’s Hitan valley had its own version of Sea Cow aka Hitan Sea Cow.

Hitan Sea Cow is the great grand ancestor of the dugong. That late Eocene mammal was found by the famous expedition of the Michigan University in Wadi El-Hitan.

Days at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo : War, weapons and commanders Edition

On the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the October 1973 war aka Yom Kippur war as well as the 200th anniversary of deciphering Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the creation of Egyptology as an independent science, here are some of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo’s ancient treasures related to war, soldiers and great military leaders.

It is an excuse to share some of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo’s treasures I was lucky enough to snap their photos in past years.

Some of those pieces have been transferred to the New National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, Cairo International Airport Museum and the Grand Egyptian Museum “GEM” which is said to be inaugurated next month.

And we will start with the unsung heroes of Egypt’s great war history: The soldiers aka the Warriors

Egyptian Pikemen from the Middle Kingdom 

We will meet them again in the post.

Now in December 2015, I took a photo of that group of bronze swords and knives.

Bronze swords at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo 

 Here is also a collection of Ancient Egyptian daggers made of bronze. I found them on the second floor during then.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Egypt’s Fossil and Climate Change Museum in Fayoum’s Wadi El-Hitan Protectorate in 2017 (#Ep1: When the desert was an ocean)

Kodak Agfa has not finished the Fayoum series. After all who would have thought that one quick-day trip to the Wadi El-Rayan protectorate would yield all those photos.

We stopped last time in Fayoum at its Magic Lake and its surrounding area. Now it is time to visit Fayoum’s crown jewel and its UNESCO World Heritage Site: Wadi El-Hitan.

A quick intro to Wadi El-Hitan: 150 km away from Cairo, Wadi El-Hitan which means in Arabic “Whales valley” is a paleontological site which hosts hundreds of whale fossils and other creatures from millions of years ago. Warning: This post is like a return back to a geology class but it is worth it.

Now Egypt’s Whale Valley is an extremely important paleontologically and historically site because it solves one of the biggest mysteries concerning the evolution of whales.

Unlike what you think, from 50 million years ago Earth’s most giant mammals aka the Whales were actually on-land animals that used to walk on legs before becoming giant gigantic mammals living in oceans.

Between 45-30 million years ago during the Eocene epoch, whales began their transition from on-land animals to Swimming big fishes as the world’s temperature was extremely high in its beginning and then cooled down by its end.

Among all the places, Wadi El-Hitan has the largest collection of whale fossils from that era as well as other animals and fishes in an amazing way considering the fact, we are speaking about a desert now.

If you do not know from millions of years ago the great Sahara including Egypt’s Western desert was part of a huge ocean and due to climate change “evidence for those deniers” we got this dry huge desert reminding us of what can happen again

The first whale fossil was unearthed in Wadi El-Hitan in 1902 and for 80 years there had been no serious excavation due to the difficulty to reach the site. In the 1980s, with the emergence of 4x4 safari trips to the site, more foreign Western Universities began to put an eye on that site.

In 1989, Egypt declared the area of Wadi El-Rayan a natural protectorate. Already Wadi El-Hitan is located inside it so it has been part of a protectorate then.

According to news investigative reports during the time of Mubarak, Egypt’s Western desert especially Fayoum dinosaurs and pre-history creatures haven for years Western Universities like Michigan University.

In 2005, UNESCO announced Wadi El-Hitan as World Heritage Site. It is the first Natural World Heritage site in Egypt. In 2008, it was officially inaugurated as an open museum.

Egypt's Fossil and Climate Change Museum's open area 

Now the amazing site got two museums: The open-air Museum and the Fossil and Climate Change Museum.

In January 2016, Egypt inaugurated the Fossil and Climate Change Museum inside the Wadi El-Hitan protectorate.

Happy New Egyptian Year 6264

Happy New Ancient Egyptian Year 6264.

Today is the first ancient Egyptian Month “Thout” or as we call it in Arabic “Tut”.

Details on a granite sarcophagus At the Egyptian Museum of Cairo 

As you may have known or not actually, the New Ancient Egyptian year/Coptic Orthodox year starts on 11 September from the Georgian Year.

There is an Egyptian Proverb about that month in Arabic “Tut, come and kill the heat”. This is in reference to the end of summer in September aka the fall.

Happy new year and I hope it brings better news

FYI, the oldest calendar in the world was discovered in Scotland and this was a brand new fact for me. 

Kodak Agfa Presents : Hidden European Fine Arts of Egypt “Volume II : Sculptures”

And here is the second part of our a little Kodak Agfa’s tour in the “The Classical European art pieces in Egyptian Museums” exhibit.

Held in Cairo last November , the exhibit celebrated some of Egypt’s official collection of classical European art pieces in Egyptian Museums like Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum from paintings and sculptures.

The first part we saw the exhibit’s beautiful and rare paintings by some of the world’s most talented and famous painters in the West like Monet and Gauguin.

The gazelle and the girl 

This post we will see some of the sculptures featured in the exhibit.

There were less statues than then paintings in the exhibit , nevertheless it was very interesting collection.

The star of this collection I would say is French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Yes, Rodin who is regarded to be the founder of modern sculpture in the West Egypt officially owns some of his work thanks to late Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil, his wife and their great taste.

We got here original miniature statues made by Rodin of his famous works with his signature on them.

Like for instance the one and only “The Thinker statue”

Auguste Rodin's The Thinker 

“Le Penseur” or “The Thinker” is probably most famous artwork for Auguste Rodin. The full-size statue was originally a part of “The Gates of Hell” artwork in 1880 under the name “The poet” .

Kodak Agfa Presents : Some of Princess Fawzia’s Jewelry at Alexandria’s Royal Jewelry Museum in photos

On 5 November From 100 years ago, a baby girl was born in Alexandria, Egypt.

She was born as a true real living princess, her father was a king of one of the greatest and oldest kingdoms in the East. Like in a fairy tale, She was a stunning beauty.

After her father’s death, her eldest brother became the king.

Soon she also married a crown prince of another great Eastern kingdom. In a couple of years, that crown prince became his country’s King or rather Shah and she became the queen.

You would think that she would live happily ever after just like in Disney’s films for princesses yet the reality is different from fiction and late Princess Fawzia Fouad of Egypt knew that first hand.

A hairpin made of diamonds with the name of Princess Fawzia in Arabic 

Now on this occasion, I would like to share this collection of jewelry that was owned by the former Queen of Iran at Alexandria’s Royal Jewelry Museum.

Late Princess Fawzia in the late 1940s 

Yup, there is a jewelry collection of Egypt’s legendary sad beauty Princess Fawzia Fouad at this often forgotten less-known yet wealthy museum.

Kodak Agfa presents : King Tutankhamun at 99

Today marks the national day of Luxor governorate in Egypt. It also marks the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in the valley of the Kings.

The famous King Tutankamun's mask 

Today marks the discovery of the famous KV62 that turned Egyptology upside down.

Today marks how a simple Egyptian boy stumbled on the tomb of another Egyptian boy who ruled this land from thousands of years ago that some old generals and priests thought that they could rid of him and his dynasty or rather his father’s dynasty forever. Call it fate or destiny or poetic justice but Tut’s story reminds me that history can’t be fooled forever.

King Tut's golden sarcophagus at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo  

Time passed and that young boy became Egypt’s most famous ruler and its symbol worldwide while those who plotted against him, simply forgotten.

Yeah, I am repeating what I have said before.

Happy New Year Ancient Egyptian/Coptic Year 6263 ya People

Happy New Ancient Egyptian/Coptic year dear people

Today 9/11 despite it marks one of the worst incidents that changed the world forever is actually the start of the new year according to the Ancient Egyptian/Coptic calendar.

Today  is the first day of Thout, year 6263

A cubit rod from the 26th dynasty  that was found in Tanis

On this occasion, I would like to share those ancient Egyptian cubit rods at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo from a couple of years ago.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Hidden European Fine Arts of Egypt “Volume 1 : Paintings”

Egypt got some secret treasures to amuse and share with the world and they are not great Egyptian ancient treasures.

They are treasures from different civilizations that ended up in the valley of the Nile. Among those treasures, a huge collection of classical European arts from statues and paintings by the greatest artists the world has known in the last 200 years.

European Arts fans can enjoy themselves too in Egypt if they know where to go.

I know some will find it odd, but we got paintings for painters like Monet, Picasso, Goya and Henri Matisse that are worth millions of dollars

The girl , the painting and Sculpture

Last November I went to Aisha Fahmy Palace in one fine afternoon to see its latest exhibit of the Egyptian Museums’ treasures. I went to the Mohamed Ali era exhibit era and it was amazing. Then came this exhibit “The Classical European art pieces in Egyptian Museums” and it blew my mind.

It is the third exhibit in the Egyptian Museums’ treasures exhibit series the Palace has been holding since its inauguration.

Now how those paintings and statues ended up in Egypt. Well, thank Egypt’s fine collectors from Mohamed Ali Royal Family and the rich class from Pashas like Mohamed Mahmoud Pasha Khalil. Those fine collectors were unfortunately nationalized and thankfully those paintings were locked up and kept safely for decades despite attempts to showcase them. 

The exhibition was held at Aisha Fahmy Palace, which is a piece of art from inside 

That exhibit had paintings and sculptures that came from three main museums: Giza’s Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Cairo’s Gezira Center for Modern Art aka Egyptian Modern Art Museum and Alexandria’s Museum of Fine Arts.

It shows a glimpse of Egypt’s own European fine arts collection.

In this post I am focusing only on the paintings I found there.

And our quick tour starts here with Monet

Kodak Agfa Presents : The Royal Taxidermy and Hunting Museum

This post was planned for the occasion of Egypt’s National Day aka 23 July Coup/Revolution/Movement “Whatever you prefer” as Kodak Agfa would like to share with you those couple of photos taken in summer 2019 but time was not that friendly.

It ended up posted a month later!!

If you are into bizarre-stuff-niche museums with a little dark twist, then you will like this post. 

If you are into hunting and animal taxidermy, then this is your place.

Gazelles shoulder mount taxidermy at the Royal taxidermy

This post is about the Mohamed Ali Taxidermy and Hunting Museum or as officially known “Royal Hunting Museum”.

This place is in the Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik Estate at Cairo’s Al-Manial island which I visited with a group of friends in August 2019.

We already visited its beautiful small mosque and saw how much the eccentric prince who could have been a king was influenced by Islamic architecture especially in Andalusia.

Our next stop in this big estate that looks like a small oasis inside the buzzing Cairo is the Royal Hunting Museum or Mohamed Ali taxidermy museum. “I hope its trees survive the trees massacre still going on across the country”

Water Buffaloe's shoulder mount taxidermy and goose taxidermy
 at the Royal taxidermy museum

First, I apologize for the bad photography as the lighting in the Museum is not camera friendly. There are out of focus photos too. 

I thought at first this is the personal collection of Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik and that building where he used to taxidermize those poor animals he hunted and collected.

This made me think that he would be more eccentric than he was already.

But I was mistaken.

That small building located near the mosque did not exist before the 1960s. It was not part of the original buildings in the estate, nor it was commissioned by Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik.