Our guests

Mamdouh Mohamed Sakr, PhD.The Prince’s Foundation, School of Traditional Arts Cairo Programme Manager.An architect and an Islamic Architectural Historian with a theoretical and practical experience in the field s of traditional urbanism, architecture and arts and crafts. After graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Architecture Department, I joined the architectural firm of the renowned architect Rami el Dahan, where I gained a considerable experience in traditional building materials, techniques and their application in contemporary contexts. One of the key highlights from this experience is my work in designing a number of private residences and tourist resorts in Egypt and the Middle East. Working in the “Aga Khan Cultural Services- Egypt,” a company of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, was yet another significant step in my career. Being part of such a monumental development project which has revived the heart of Islamic Cairo, enabled me to understand and develop a strong approach in addressing the multi-layered problems of the social and urban fabric of the historic city. In addition, I have participated in the design of a number of private residences and tourist resorts in Egypt and the Middle East.Currently, I am the manager of the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts (PFSTA) Programme in Cairo: a unique progamme aimed at preserving the traditional arts in Egypt. This project offers a two-year course based on the regeneration and renewal of traditional Islamic visual arts and crafts as a living practice. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day management and operations of the programme, my responsibilities include developing the curricula of the various crafts and drawing modules, staff development particularly of teaching and training assistants and supervise the design and implementation of the students’ project throughout the course. Parallel to my work with PSTA, I taught at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in the Performing and Visual Department. My practical and theoretical experience is clearly reflected in the courses I taught. The subjects range from the “Foundations of Design” and “The Language of Traditional Arts”, which included intensive studio work and lectures. Currently I teach History of Architecture at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Architecture Design Studio at the French University in Cairo.I have been interested in the artistic, architectural and urban expressions of Muslim communities. This started by a fascination of the rich and diverse language of Islamic architecture, which led to choosing “Mosque Architecture “as a topic for my graduation project. The urge to understand the principles and philosophy of Islamic architecture encouraged me to pursue my studies further at the American University in Cairo, where I joined the Islamic Arts and Architecture MA program. Concerned about how Muslim communities express their cultural identity in their mosques, my MA thesis studied the case of the Muslims of Britain and how they build their mosques. The thesis entitled "The Mosques of Britain, How do British Muslims express their Identity" received the “Best Thesis Award” from the Arabic Studies department at the American University in Cairo, and was published in Germany in 2010.In addition to Islamic architecture, my research interests include vernacular architecture and traditional urbanism. I published several papers and participated in a number of conferences related to the topics of, reintroducing vernacular architecture to contemporary settings, traditional building techniques and artistic and architectural exchanges. As I believe that traditional architecture is directly related to traditional urbanism, and as I have travelled extensively in the region, I undertook a thorough research about traditional urbanism. Gradually this research has developed into my PhD dissertation, which examined how the principles of traditional urbanism are analysed and applied in the design of a residential neighbourhood in the hot arid region of the Middle East. The dissertation entitled, “Investigating and Applying Traditional Urbanism Principles to design a residential neighbourhood in Cairo” entailed studying and analyzing the urban fabric of numerous settlements in North Africa, Egypt and the Levant before choosing Cairo as the location of the proposed neighbouhood. In addition to my academic research, I enjoy writing, I have four travel books published in English, (Did you try Qat? 2012, Spaghetti in Harar, 2014, From Cairo to Tel Aviv, 2015 and Namaste 2019). My experiences and encounters in a number of countries are gathered in these books.Then by the beginning of 2016, I had my first experience in writing in Arabic, where I wrote a slightly different version of, “From Cairo to Tel Aviv”. This book tells my journey to Palestine, where I visited Jerusalem, al Khalil, Bethlehem, Acre and Jaffa. My wanderings are woven by long conversations with Palestinians living under different circumstances, some are funny, some are heart breaking and others are simply intriguing. I’m working currently on a number of projects and looking forward to my next trip. In February 2021, my first novel in Arabic was released, “Ayyam Yasmine”, which is a social drama recalling memories and incidents in the life of a middle-class Egyptian woman.

Hend Abdel Halim, Deputy Governor of Giza. She was graduated from Faculty of Law English Section Cairo University and then had her LL.M. Degree from Indiana University School of Law. She worked as an assistant to the Minister Counsellor of Peru for 2 years and as an Executive Director for an advertising Agency based in Cairo and Dubai.She loves to read and to write, and planning is her passion. She had a line of planning agendas and was a speaker in many universities.Currently she is studying for the MBA degree.

Hana Yehia Elmasry is a traditional artist that is passionate about Islamic Art. She was born in Cairo at 1993. Hana dropped out of college so that she can freely pursue her passion for art. she joined the Art Jameel Program for Traditional Arts and Crafts in Cairo that is administered by Prince’s School of Traditional Arts

 I like narrating stories about architecture and places through teaching, writing, photography, city walks or public lectures. I’m an architect with multi-disciplinary interests ranging from Egyptian 19th & 20th century architecture to cultural heritage, architectural advertisement and urban history. With over nineteen years of experience in the architectural profession. The Last ten years' academic knowledge and expertise gained by tutoring in the Credit Hour System at Cairo University (CUFE), then The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT). Currently, I am an associate professor at the department of Architectural Engineering & Environmental Design there. I organized more than sixty architectural events between seminars, public lectures, national and international workshops in cooperation with different institutes. Furthermore, I organized city walks in Downtown Cairo, Shubra, Al-Dahir, Al Zamalek, Imbaba and Nasr city. My target is to discover uncommon districts and tell new stories about the architecture of the place as well as related movies, crafts, novels, minorities, food. Sometimes those stories are narrated by local residents. My passion for the city extended to discover the world. I have travelled to Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Turkey, Morocco, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Ireland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates. I’m keen to learn new things and tackle fresh research topics. I acquired my Masters 2005 and Doctorate 2014 in Architectural Engineering from Cairo University. Two editions were published of my book "The Pioneer Egyptian Architects during the Liberal Era (1919-1952)”. Since 2007, I created my blog Keep hunting photos “Manseiat (Forgotten)” and then an electronic newspaper "The io Weekly" in 2012. Both were hubs sharing fresh news about Egypt mainly architecture, and heritage. I published numerous articles at international conferences, electronic websites, research journals, non-periodical publications and books. Recent publications include sustainable conservation strategy to the Eastern Necropolis in Cairo, the changing housing policies and sixth of October city, rebranding Cairo’s Downtown cinemas, perusal on urban fear - case study of the gated communities in Greater Cairo, Private initiatives versus state interventions in Downtown Cairo; an on-going debate questioning the sustainability of newly pedestrianised streets (the Kodak and Al-Alfi Passageways), The History of Monasteries in Egypt as Self-sustained Settlements, and city walks as a tool to narrate the history of Cairo. I recently published two stories in a collection of short stories in partnership with 12 writers. The book is titled "Tales from a distance", and I am currently working on my first collection of stories, starring a group of ladies on their journeys towards recovery. Moreover, I participated in workshops, initiatives and roundtables discussing several key issues centered on heritage, Cairo’s present urban and architectural condition, and architectural publications. Some titles: Symposium on Egyptian popular culture: produce consume conserve (2020), German legacies in Cairo (2016), FA Workshop in Cairo/ Al-Azhar’s Nasr City Campus (2016), The Egyptian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in Architecture (2013), The Heritage and the New Technology (2012), Dust (2012), Alternative Media (2010), TEDxGUC|Gaps talk on How can artistic performances revive Egypt’s dying standalone cinemas? (2019). I held a seat on the Committee for Architecture at the Supreme Council of Culture under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture (2011-2020). Now, I’m the founder of El Dor El Rabe’a; a group of architects who use arts to observe issues related to Egyptian culture. We capture the everyday life of the Egyptian street and compile narratives aiming to change the stereotypical image of Egypt. We curated four artistic projects in cooperation with civil and governmental institutions, during which various events were organized, including art exhibitions, cultural tours, and public lectures

Mohamed Tantawy studied urban planning theories in Ain Shams University (‘12) ,form then he was working in the design\ planning field in many firms in Cairo , he is interested in many multi discipline readings related to social behaviors and history of urban theories,In 2015 he was Now he got the Masters in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design Program (IUSD) he was looking to urban-sociology question of urban resilience and how this influence to power structure in the city, as a grounded experience, he worked as urban planner for 2 years and 2 year field research assistant in many projects related to urban upgrading and design urban solutions for public engagement, nowadays is more interested in exploring a new cultural and geographical perspectives to link the reality in Egypt with the classic theories for Human geography plus building a solid career in building with earth .

Ola Said graduated as a construction engineer from the American University in Cairo. She participated in many projects working in heritage conservation in Cairo and received a diploma in Fine Conservation from the Faculty of Antiquities, in Cairo University and received her master's degree in Islamic Art and Architecture and focused her thesis topic on "Building in Egypt between craft and industry." She aimed to learn more about the crafts and received a study grant that teaches the basics of the traditional Islamic arts through a 2 years intensive program that is offered by the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, Art Jameel and the Cultural Development Fund of Egypt. She specialized in ceramics and joined the program as a tutor. She is also active in the field of community development and worked with the government school teachers and students through teaching Human Values course and organized weekly school trips to the monuments and museums of Cairo. She is also keen on raising awareness to the community of al darb al ahmar and with the help of her friends, she was able to organize a full program of monument visits, self development courses and free drawing classes in traditional Islamic Geometry, art and crafts courses in her house in Bayt Yakan.

Islam Elsaadany: A Strategy expert, working side by side with business
owners, CEOs & top management executives on formulating & Implementing their long term plans. Currently, Islam is working with multiple entities' top management on the formulation and implementation of their long-term/strategic plans. After studying & working in Engineering, Islam shifted to the business and management early in his career to start in the training field; providing soft skills & technical training to employees. Which developed quickly to be a training team leader and then moving to a sister company acting as a training BD/Consultant to provide customized training programs to multiple clients & entities. Islam is an
MBA holder with a specialization in Strategic Management, he also studies PRMG in the AUC; in addition to studying HRM in RITI.

Daniele Salvoldi (1982) is an Italian Egyptologist and archaeologist. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from University of Pisa (2011) with a thesis on traveler and epigraphist Alessandro Ricci (1792-1834), published by the American University in Cairo Press (2019). From 2014 to 2016 he was post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Ancient History of Freie Universität Berlin, working on a Historical GIS of Nubia. He has been teaching History of Architecture and Architecture of Egypt at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport since 2016. He also published a book on Roman Egypt (2016) and two more books will appear in 2020: a history of Nubia and a history of ancient Egypt. He is currently working on a reconstruction of an ancient Egyptian bark chapel that used to stand on Elephantine Island and that was destroyed in 1822.

 Zaazaa is an architect and urban designer by training and a researcher, educator, and activist by conviction. His work takes a social justice approach to sustainability, informality, climate change, and urban design and management practices, and reflects his commitment to changing the way urban development is theorized, practiced, and taught.

Lately, Zaazaa co-founded “10 Tooba | Applied Research on the Built Environment L.L.C” where he is the participatory urban upgrade coordinator. “10 Tooba” is an interdisciplinary group of built environment professionals, with similar roots in architecture, planning and engineering, and developed expertise in anthropology, participatory planning, legislation and policy while working closely with communities in Egypt. The company aims for Socially Just and Sustainable Communities in Egypt and the region.

Zaazaa is the also co-founder of “Madd Platform” that was responsible for several participatory projects in urban and rural areas. As one of the most important projects that Madd platform worked on, was upgrading Maspero area.

https://issuu.com/maddplatform/docs/maspero_parallel_participatory_proj

On the academic level, Zaazaa’s contributed and helped in several publications. He also had 9 years experience in teaching architecture and urban design in several universities (American University in Cairo – Arab Academy for Science and Technology – Modern Sciences and Arts University).

Ramy Bakir has received his BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees from Ain Shams University (ASU), Cairo, Egypt. He is currently Co-founder and General Manager at ASAS, and is also Assistant Professor at the Department of Architectural Engineering and Environmental Design at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST), Cairo, Egypt. Throughout his 18 years of practicing and teaching design he has won 4 local and international design awards, and contributed to many design projects in Egypt and the Middle East Region by collaborating with many engineering consultancies. He managed more than 100 projects as Design Principal at the ASAS; the Egyptian based design firm which he cofounded in 2009. He has also instructed 5 courses where he experimented with students in design, building and presenting creative and innovative ideas. He has conducted several empirical studies and has published several articles and papers focusing on the situated design process in architectural practice and pedagogy

 Architect with a bachelor degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, 2001. She has received her M.Sc. in conservation of Monuments and Historical sites at the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC) at KULeuven, Belgium in 2010. Her thesis was on the vernacular architecture of Egyptian villages.She has long experience in heritage conservation projects ranging from rehabilitation of historic areas especially in Historic Cairo, restoration of heritage buildings and museums exhibitions. She is founder of Mariam Korachy Architects, the office realized several architectural projects , as well as interior design and furniture production.

An Engineer and a passionate writer. who published more than one book (short stories type).

An Egyptian storyteller who has worked with Megawra for the past seven years to design and implement storytelling shows inspired by the heritage and oral history of the Caliphate region. In addition to her work with Megawra, Shireen Al-Ansari has participated in many international festivals, and has taught in many workshops in Egypt, France, Lebanon and Syria. Shireen Al-Ansari is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at Goldsmiths College London.

Architect, and Teacher Assistant In AAST, 10 years of Experience In Architecture Sketches And 3DVisualization For Architecture,Interior Design And Urban Design . He have two certificates from the Ministry of Culture In 2019, 2020 and one Certificate from Cairo Urban Sketchers In 2018.

Dr. Monica Hanna is an international figure in the world of Archaeology. She did her undergraduate studies in Egyptology and Archaeological Chemistry at the American University in Cairo (AUC), 2004. Hanna then pursued an MA TEFL 2006 at AUC as well. She later joined the University of Pisa, Italy to complete her doctorate in archaeology entitled ‘Problems of Preservation of Mural Paintings in the Theban Necropolis: A Pilot Study on the Theban Tomb 14 using 3D Scanning Techniques’. From July 2011 until November 2012, Monica was a post-doctoral fellow in the Topoi Cluster of Excellence in the Department of Egyptology and North African Studies in Humboldt University. Currently, Hanna is an associate professor and the acting Dean of the College of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in Aswan, Egypt where she has founded a program specialized in Archaeology and Cultural heritage with eight departments. Her research focuses on space, knowledge and identity of archaeological sites, with particular interest on different meanings and reflections of heritage on identity of space and communities. She has worked on a project in al-Qurna, Luxor on the different narratives of the multiple worlds of the Theban Necropolis and its meanings to the various stakeholders. Post the year 2011, Hanna has been working with the media and a group of volunteers to bring awareness to the plight of various archaeological sites in Egypt, including and especially Dahshur, Abu Sir el-Maleq and Ancient Heliopolis. She spoke and defended the heritage of Egypt and its protection. Hanna has been granted numerous awards including the SAFE beacon award for 2014 for her efforts in the salvage of antiquities under conflict and was named by UNESCO the Monuments Woman of 2014. She has also received ‘Distinguished AUC Alumna’ two times, once in Cairo 2014 and the other in New York 2015. Her current research focuses on decolonizing and democratizing archaeology, repatriation and restitution amongst methods for accessibility for the wider public to archaeology and heritage with particular interest in digital humanities. In 2020, she was awarded a research grant as part of Action for Restitution in Africa in collaboration with University of Oxford and University of South Africa. In 2021, she was awarded the most 50 influential women in Egypt.

I am Issa Abdullah. I love human. I study the humanities. I care about everything that can help a person to live a true, healthy, secure, fruitful and humanly fulfilled life. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Department of Psychology at the British University in Egypt and accredited from London South Bank University in the United Kingdom. I love the Arabic language, and Arabic literature. One of my dreams is to provide a rich scientific outcome in Arabic for the people of Arabic. One of my first productions in this was that I had the opportunity to translate the book The Idiot Brain from English to Arabic. I work as a translator and researcher and was appointed as a teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology at the British University in Egypt. I work on various other projects in the field of humanities and psychology. I study religions, logic and philosophy. I love electronic games, exercise, and Papa John's Chicken Ranch pizza.

 Co-Founder of CLUSTER (Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental Research) a platform for urban research, architecture, art, and design initiatives based in Downtown Cairo. Omar is a practicing architect/urban planner with over 25 years of experience working in Cairo. He has been the recipient of a number of honors and awards, including representing Egypt in the 6th Architectural Design Exhibition, Venice Biennale. A graduate of Cairo University, he studied at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and University of California, Berkeley, and taught at a number of local and international universities, most recently as a Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, UK. Nagati adopts an interdisciplinary approach to questions of urban history and design, with a specific focus on informal urbanism. Nagati is a co-author of numerous printed and online publications and research papers, including Archiving the City in Flux (2013), Street Vendors Initiatives and the Contestation of Public Space (2017), and Grounded Urban Practices (2019). clustercairo.org

Ahmed El Antably is an Associate Professor at the Department of Architectural Engineering, Cairo campus, and the Acting Dean of Education, South Valley campus, Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport. He locates his research and teaching in a conjuncture of history, theory, and technology. He is interested in design media and the ways in which they are socially deployed in design discourse, and the effects they introduce in design practice. He is also interested in the history and theory of virtuality in art and architecture and issues of the perception of place in both actual and virtual (both conventional and computed) environments in particular. El Antably published a book, a book chapter, and many journal articles.

obtained her bachelor’s degree in design management at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) in Fall 2014 and dual master's degree in interior and product design in 2016 at Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD) in Milan. During her master’s degree, Ibrahim worked with various renowned clients such as Samsung, Milano Design Film Festival and Whirlpool. She also gained valuable experience from working with the Italian design studio, Navone Associate, and with Royal Ahrend, a Dutch furniture firm in Dubai, as a product designer. Her extensive experience in the creative field led her in 2016 to cofound Film My Design (FMD), a Cairo-based, design film festival, which aims at highlighting the local and international design scene through film. In 2021, Ibrahim founded a multidisciplinary design studio, Urban Elements, based in both Cairo and Dubai.

Omar‘s responsibilities at Introspect Capital include improving operational efficiency and leading the firm’s systematic analysis.
Omar completed his bachelor’s in economics at Alexandria University in 2007. While completing his degree, Omar developed a keen interest in technical analysis and began lecturing part-time at the Egyptian Society of Technical Analysts and, post-graduation, completed the Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) program.
Omar began his career in equity trading at CI Capital, one of Egypt’s largest Investment Banks, before moving to Beltone Financial. During his tenure at Beltone, Omar started Egypt’s first buy-side, centralized trading desk and co-managed a long-only systematic strategy.
In 2011, Omar relocated to Dubai to join Arqaam Capital, where two of his many roles included managing Arqaam’s hedge fund and restructuring the asset management department’s trading desk.
In early 2018, Omar joined Introspect Capital, bringing with him twelve years of experience in financial services and a deep understanding of asset management and operational processes.
When Omar’s not obsessively improving Introspect’s operational workflows and systems, he continues to practice one of his first jobs: teaching. However, Omar now educates others through a different medium than his early days, hosting “Kalam Yenawar”, the first Arabic financial literacy podcast for those seeking financial independence. Omar is also passionate about basketball, although his enthusiasm for the sport is typically geared towards watching one player, whose career he has avidly followed since the 2012 NBA draft.

 Mohamed Wahba is an Egyptian comic artist whose practice varies from publishing books, live drawing, panorama exhibitions. In few years he became acknowledged internationally and took part in many group exhibitions and participated in many art residencies such as Angoulême International Comics Festival residency and Cité Internationale Des Arts in Paris. Currently, Wahba is working on his biggest project to the moment Al-Sirah al-Hilaliyyah (Banu Hilal) the first Arab comic book that visually depicts the famous Arabic epic oral poem.

An architect, urban researcher, assistant lecturer at New Giza University, an Award-winning Independent Filmmaker, and an advisory member on Public Space for City Space Architecture. His research explores the intersection between cinema and cities, public spaces and public art, spatial culture and architectural education. He earned his Masters degree from Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, and is currently a PhD candidate at Cairo University. His academic record includes 13 peer-reviewed publications, co-chairing the 2022 AESOP Annual Congress in Estonia, and serving as an editor and reviewer on a few academic platforms. Additionally, he delivered more than 20 lectures, including guest lecturers in the UK, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Hungary. His short films have been screened in Egypt, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, and the USA. His 2019 short film "Cold Dissent" received the Best Short Film award at the 5th Biennale Spazio Pubblico Festival in Rome. His 2020 short film "Prosody: An Ode to the City" was nominated for the Audience Award at the 1st City Space Architecture Film Festival in Bologna. He also received the third prize in the 2021 A-Place Mapping photo contest for the image under the title "Spirituality descending upon Simplicity".

An architect, urban designer, and researcher working at Megawra, BEC, & AtharLina Initiative. He is currently a M.Sc. Candidate at Cairo University.Zahran is interested in architecture, urbanism, and heritage. He is passionate about cinema andthe arts and their role in documenting and raising awareness of societal issues and finding culturalways that contribute to the sustainable development of societies. He participated and was invitedto attend many conferences and events in Egypt, Germany, and several Arab and Europeancountries, and gave several talks and sessions about facing several challenges in perspective ofArchitecture, Heritage and cinema.Zahran also is a Human right activist He is volunteering for Hurra Coalition “Hurra Coalition” isintersectional group of active women’s rights organizations in the Middle East and North Africa &“AEFL” and participates in many of its awareness and cultural activities.: An architect, urban designer, and researcher working at Megawra, BEC, & AtharLina Initiative. He is currently a M.Sc. Candidate at Cairo University.Zahran is interested in architecture, urbanism, and heritage. He is passionate about cinema andthe arts and their role in documenting and raising awareness of societal issues and finding culturalways that contribute to the sustainable development of societies. He participated and was invitedto attend many conferences and events in Egypt, Germany, and several Arab and Europeancountries, and gave several talks and sessions about facing several challenges in perspective ofArchitecture, Heritage and cinema.Zahran also is a Human right activist He is volunteering for Hurra Coalition “Hurra Coalition” isintersectional group of active women’s rights organizations in the Middle East and North Africa &“AEFL” and participates in many of its awareness and cultural activities.