James Purtill
The souq is ours: Life after tourism in Aswan’s souq
Life & Style
July 8, 2012
The souq is ours: Life after tourism in Aswan’s souq
"If they were British, we said ‘Our shop is cheaper than Asda,’” says Haitham Ibrahim, as we stroll through Sharia…
2012 electronic music festival reflects political scene
Art news
June 20, 2012
2012 electronic music festival reflects political scene
Last year's 100Lives electronic music festival at Rawabet Theater had a celebratory feel. “People were drinking in the streets, dressing…
100Live festival at center of growing electronic music scene
Art news
June 14, 2012
100Live festival at center of growing electronic music scene
The sixth annual 100Live Electronic Music Festival takes place Thursday and Friday, 14 and 15 June, in downtown Cairo. Ten…
Protected islands in Aswan threatened by encroachment
Environment
June 12, 2012
Protected islands in Aswan threatened by encroachment
The cultivation began in the months after the events of 25 January 2011: a few molokhia plants, some basil, a…
Welfare group helps Luxor zoo care for animals
Environment
June 10, 2012
Welfare group helps Luxor zoo care for animals
Animal Care in Egypt was never meant to be a hospital, and El Nada Land was never meant to have…
In St. Catherine, monastery seeks permanence through technology
Life & Style
May 29, 2012
In St. Catherine, monastery seeks permanence through technology
St. Catherine’s Monastery is going digital. The monastery that claims to be the oldest in the world — not destroyed,…
Amid obstacles, enthusiasts hope bird-watching tourism will take flight
Environment
May 28, 2012
Amid obstacles, enthusiasts hope bird-watching tourism will take flight
Take a map of the world and dribble lines of honey from north to south, avoiding water. These are basically…
Much ado about ‘Dunia’
Cinema/TV
May 24, 2012
Much ado about ‘Dunia’
Although filmmaker Jocelyne Saab was born and raised and is based in Beirut, her filmmaking career has also centered on…
Cairo is hub for endangered species traffic as pet shops sell exotic animals
Environment
May 18, 2012
Cairo is hub for endangered species traffic as pet shops sell exotic animals
The trade of wild, exotic animals sold in Cairo pet shops has boomed, at least according to animal welfare activists.…
Backstage at the premiere of the AfriCairo Music Festival
Art news
May 8, 2012
Backstage at the premiere of the AfriCairo Music Festival
The politics were somber, the mood was buoyant. The audience was small, about half the capacity of the El Sawy…
Cairo’s geology: A history of how limestone became Cairo
Environment
May 8, 2012
Cairo’s geology: A history of how limestone became Cairo
Under Cairo’s asphalt, under the reverberations of its street traffic, rocks are flowing, compacting, shearing and warping. The city…
Students accuse veterinary school of animal cruelty
Environment
May 3, 2012
Students accuse veterinary school of animal cruelty
Two Cairo University veterinary students-turned-whistleblowers have made allegations of animal cruelty at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. It is the…
At St. Catherine, tourism struggle indicates deeper issues
Life & Style
April 30, 2012
At St. Catherine, tourism struggle indicates deeper issues
The buses come from Sharm el-Sheikh. Mercedes, Scania, Volvo — the streamlined, high-torque vehicles are parked side by side on…
Hurghada association marks Earth Day with island makeover
Environment
April 22, 2012
Hurghada association marks Earth Day with island makeover
An Egyptian NGO is mounting an expedition to clean up the almost inaccessible Abu Monkar Island near Hurghada, to mark…
Saint Catherine’s flourishing medicinal growers
Environment
April 17, 2012
Saint Catherine’s flourishing medicinal growers
All around Saint Catherine, in tiny spring-fed gardens, the Jabaliya Bedouin are cultivating medicinal plants. Just 10 years ago this…
Cogs in the wheel: A day in the life of a fasakhany
Life & Style
April 16, 2012
Cogs in the wheel: A day in the life of a fasakhany
Egypt is a massive living organism — a web of ticking clocks, each set to a slightly different millisecond. With…
Endangered species: Gebel Elba’s dragon tree
Environment
April 7, 2012
Endangered species: Gebel Elba’s dragon tree
For years, anecdotal reports had been filtering out of the Gebel Elba Protectorate that its ancient population of dragon trees…
‘Black Nile’: An extraordinary journey from Lake Victoria to Rosetta
Environment
April 5, 2012
‘Black Nile’: An extraordinary journey from Lake Victoria to Rosetta
As Sudan negotiated its Comprehensive Peace Agreement, foreign correspondent Dan Morrison journeyed down the Nile from its headwaters at Lake…
SunGlacier could produce water from air in the Egyptian desert
Environment
March 31, 2012
SunGlacier could produce water from air in the Egyptian desert
A Dutch artist intends to create a glacier in the Egyptian desert to inspire solar powered solutions to climate change.…
Drumming away, Han Bennink in Cairo
Art news
March 18, 2012
Drumming away, Han Bennink in Cairo
Han Bennink looks amazed to find himself under a bridge in Cairo. The famous Dutch drummer and multi-instrumentalist is making…