Latest news with #Cairene
CairoScene
03-08-2025
- General
- CairoScene
A Tour Through the Many Souqs of Cairo
In a single week, Cairene sellers go through everything from live animals to used cars. Aug 03, 2025 It's not a secret that every week in Cairo is an adventure. This enormous city is constantly bustling in every direction, so it's only natural that, at any given moment, something is happening somewhere. In fact, there's a different souq happening every day of the week somewhere in the city, and every week, the stock - be it live animals, lost family pictures, used cars or just ten different types of garlic graters - changes. This is a guide to Cairo's weirdest, most fun and definitely most savvy souqs. Souq El Had Used clothing Wekalet El-Balah Every Sunday, the car repair and fabric stores in Wekala take a day off. So, naturally, every Saturday night, used clothing sellers in Wekala lay their schemes - and makeshift storefronts - in the street in front of them, to prepare to sell their remaining stock at an even more discounted price. Souq El Talat Clothing, homeware, linen Faisal Street 20 in Faisal becomes a souq for everything your home needs every Tuesday, at very discounted prices. You can find carpets, home linens, clothing, socks and underwear, pots and pans, 17 versions of a garlic grater - you know, the essentials. Souq El Khamis Clothing, shoes, homeware, utensils Matareya At this weekly souq, the early bird gets the worm. Sellers lay makeshift storefronts every Thursday at dawn near Matareya Square, and wrap up before sundown, selling everything from used clothing to pottery to cooking utensils to home devices. Souq El Gomaa Animals Sayeda Aisha The weekly Sayeda Aisha souq is… unconventional. Here, sellers gather to sell live animals, some of which are traditionally kept as pets and others that are less, well, traditional, like rare pigeon breeds and lizards. Rumour has it that some of the pets sold in this souq were actually stolen from their owners. Souq El Sabt Antiques Downtown Cairo This is the souq the quirkiest kids in Cairo flock to every Saturday for cheap antiques, forgotten family pictures of people you don't know, vintage movie posters, old records and tapes, half-working tin alarm clocks, and the occasional cool wine glass. Every week is a surprise, depending on what the sellers find. It's located in the streets surrounding Cinema Diana in Downtown Cairo. Souq El Sayarat Used cars Nasr City You can't buy a used car online. At least, that's what every Egyptian dad wholeheartedly believes, but if you still want to strong arm your way through the negotiation for the car of your dreams, you could suggest a trip to Nasr City's weekly Souq El Sayarat, where sellers put their used cars on display for live viewing. The souq happens every Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM on Mahager Road. Souq El Gemal Camels Berqash If you're looking to buy a camel, which is, of course, a completely natural thing to need for your home, Souq El Gemal in Berqash is definitely the place to go. It's the biggest camel market in all of Egypt, and they offer impressive prices for camels starting at EGP 40,000 up to EGP 150,000, depending on the purpose of the camel, whether it's for riding or eating. Souq El Manasra Used furniture Downtown Cairo Souq El Manasra serves as a one-stop shop for everything furniture, from standalone chairs to living room sets to wardrobes and desks, at what are said to be the best prices in Cairo. You can find furniture from Damietta, the Egyptian capital of furniture, at the souq as well. It's located in El Manasra Street off Mohamed Aly Street in Attaba, and is available all week round. Souq El Fustat Handcrafted pottery El Fustat Souq El Fustat is more of a tourist spot, but the enormous stock of handcrafted pottery and glass homeware they have on display is worth a visit regardless. It's open all week round, and many look at it as their go-to for souvenir shopping or to add cultured accents to their home. El Souq El Tonsy Home fixtures Nasr City In Islamco in Nasr City, El Souq El Tonsy sells everything a home really needs (and by that we mean doors, not cute serving plates) at impressive prices. The souq offers a selection of windows, doors, toilets, and other home fixtures, both used and new, and you can even sell your old home fixtures there, like that bathtub collecting dust in your garage. Souq El Waraq Paper supplies, home decor, craft supplies Downtown Cairo This souq in Attaba, Downtown Cairo has everything a master crafter could possibly need. It's open all week long, and can get anything printed, framed or made into a sticker for you. They even have selections of ready-to-stick posters for your room.
CairoScene
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
We Tried The Only Iraqi Restaurant in Dokki
Finally, a restaurant so generous it's making our grandma feel stingy. Jul 12, 2025 We had the pleasure of experiencing a rare culinary phenomenon in Dokki: food that tastes like it came straight out of someone's home kitchen, but isn't. Abu Abdallah Al-Iraqi serves meat dolma and chicken quzi so lovingly made, so clean in flavour and intent, it momentarily tricks the brain. You're not in a restaurant—you're at your grandmother's table. Only in this case, your grandmother happens to be Iraqi. This kind of meal is unusual in Cairo's dining scene—not because the food isn't good, but because most seasoned Cairene eaters have a more reliable system: the international friendship circuit. According to extensive field research conducted by myself (and, before that, my friends before me), you need a lot of friends to survive Cairo. Not for emotional support or career networking—though sure, that helps—but because someone's mother is always cooking, and the more diverse your friend group, the more literal that 'taste of the world' becomes. The best dinner calendars involve a rotating menu of homemade Palestinian maqluba, Sudanese aseeda, Syrian yalanji, and so on. It's not just a social life—it's a strategy. But every once in a while, a dine-out option emerges that can rival that home-cooked warmth. Abu Abdallah Al-Iraqi is one of them.
CairoScene
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Koojeh is Rewriting the Rules of Persian Dining in Riyadh
We caught up with the mastermind behind Koojeh, Ahmed Aldhubaib, to uncover its story, his Paella Pop-up past, and how he aims to redefine the Saudi fine dining scene. At Koojeh, a new Persian restaurant tucked into a quiet stretch of Riyadh, there's a palpable reverence for the primal pleasures of fire, fat, and lamb. Smoke coils upward from open charcoal grills, clinging to the rafters and perfuming the space. Yet for all its historical underpinnings, Koojeh isn't nostalgic. It plays more like a masterful remix of old flavours refracted through a local, contemporary Saudi lens. I first stumbled across Koojeh on one of my late-night outings with two friends, former Cairene companions now firmly claimed by the Saudi corporate machine. We were on yet another nocturnal forage for a spot the algorithm hadn't already chewed up when we found it. True to its name (which means 'alleyway' in Persian), we were greeted by a cosy interior and wooden tables decorated with vintage silverware, which felt like stepping into someone's home, or rather, a hole-in-the-wall diner within the quarters of Tehran or Shiraz. 'That word 'koojeh' represents discovery, warmth, and the charm of everyday gatherings. That's exactly what we wanted the restaurant to feel like: intimate, rich in character, and accessible to everyone,' says the owner, Ahmed Aldhubaib, the genial, old-school chef behind the concept. He glides between busy tables, greeting diners with the history behind Persian cuisine and his family's culinary traditions. The first dish to land on our table was the Kubideh, the restaurant's inspired take on a street-food staple and reportedly its most ordered item: a skewer of ground lamb, mixed only with onion and salt, grilled until it trembles under its own weight. It's a dish that punishes shortcuts and rewards patience. 'It's frustrating how little care is given to local ingredients. Most restaurants use imported meat,' Ahmed tells us, 'but we work directly with a designated group of local shepherds. We source the livestock 10 days before preparation, and ensure they're freely grazed on a premium diet to optimise tenderness and flavour.' But before his restaurant debut wiry Koojeh, Aldhubaib was first known to Riyadh's foodies through Paella pop-up, a cloud kitchen concept that was born from his family's weekend feasts which, somewhat improbably, turned into a runaway hit. Paella went from humble farmers' markets to national TV, and eventually securing him a recurring spot at Riyadh Season's Boulevard World for four consecutive years. 'We've always cherished the moments food creates - how a well-prepared meal brings people together, sparks conversations with strangers, and builds lasting memories,' he reflects. 'We're here to tell Saudi stories through Persian food, and to prove that world-class dining can come from local roots, not imported trends.' If the paella was theatrical - 'a performance dish,' as he called it - Koojeh is something else: distilled, thoughtful, and devotional. It tells the story of his homeland and its dining culture through a Persian grill lens. 'It all started with my regular weekend feasts with the family. I wanted to create a space as warm and intimate as our gatherings, somewhere intimate, rich in character, and accessible.' Aldhubaib tells SceneNowSaudi. 'I was drawn to the Persian cuisine for its emphasis on simplicity, patience, and tradition. It's just a few ingredients, cooked right.' Midway through demolishing the lamb - still trembling off the bone - another dish arrived: the Joojeh, a chicken marinated for 48 hours in iqt (a traditional dehydrated yoghurt) and musky saffron. It came charred and tender, tasting of smoke and sunshine at once, an edible chiaroscuro: deep, bright, and fleeting. I was battling demons to eat intuitively and savour it to the last bite that my investment in helping my friend decode the one-liner texts of her situationship was long forgotten. In a country where the dining scene is mostly dominated by global franchises and Gulf-wide restaurant groups, Koojeh offers a counterpoint: a refreshing fine-dining experience that won't cost an arm and a leg. 'Balancing quality and affordability was the hardest part,' Aldhubaib admits. 'But we didn't want excellence to be exclusive. If the food isn't exceptional, we won't serve it." During one of his too many stops at our table, Aldhubaib shared with us some of the kitchen's confidential anecdotes. Since opening, Koojeh has expanded rapidly, with a second location already running and a third on the way. On any given evening, the dining room hosts a curious spectrum - government officials, food influencers, schoolteachers, and families celebrating milestones. Somehow, it has become a place for everyone. For Koojeh's future, Aldhubaib has big dreams: regional expansion, a platform for Saudi culinary talent, and a vision to 'redefine the Saudi F&B scene.' But the restaurant's true charm lies in its modesty. Koojeh doesn't dazzle with fire tricks or foam. Instead, it leans into something far more disarming: quiet mastery, deep sourcing, and excellent lamb. We ended the meal with a soft, fragrant dessert - rose milk with saffron and pistachio, dusted with irtah, a rare, nearly forgotten desert herb Koojeh sources from local Saudi markets. Still, the dish that lingered longest with me was the Kubideh, and how the sneaky underlying spiciness complemented the meat in all sorts of interesting ways. But more than that, you taste precision - a vision of what Persian food in Saudi Arabia might become when filtered through memory, fire, and just a bit of salt.
CairoScene
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Where Weave Meets Wheels: Kahhal 1871's New Visual Statement
Where Weave Meets Wheels: Kahhal 1871's New Visual Statement Kahhal 1871, a family-run rug house with roots stretching back over a century, is known for its handwoven rugs and generational commitment to traditional production. Founded in Cairo and still operated by the family today, the brand continues to draw from regional techniques while expanding its visual language for new contexts and audiences. In the spirit of embracing the new while staying grounded in the old, Kahhal 1871 quite literally laid its legacy down in a bold visual campaign aimed at a new generation. In an arresting scene, skaters glide through a concrete bowl lined with Persian and Cairene rugs, bringing movement to centuries-old patterns. 'We decided to stop just talking about heritage and start using it as a tool to move forward,' says Mohamed El Kahhal, Managing Director of Kahhal 1871, reflecting on the mindset shift that has shaped the brand's recent direction. While this visual statement isn't tied to a specific rug collection, it signals the spirit that will inform future releases. Directed by Intuition and styled by Be-Indie, the short visual features three generations of skaters weaving across the rugs, turning the pieces into part of the performance. 'It's about placing the intricacy of heritage design in a modern setting and showing the durability of our rugs, even under the wheels,' El Kahhal explains. Though long recognised for preserving traditional craftsmanship, Kahhal 1871's engagement with contemporary culture is not new. In recent years, the brand has collaborated with a range of modern artists and designers, blending time-honoured weaving with modern aesthetics. Collaborators have included Aliaa El Geredy, Pillar Zeta, and El Seed, each bringing a distinct voice to the traditional weave. The brand's work with fashion label Okhtein extended this dialogue further, merging Kahhal 1871's tactile sensibility with Okhtein's signature use of motifs. The collaboration explored how design—whether worn or woven—can carry shared codes of identity, ornament, and texture. More than a visual experiment, the broader approach is about prompting designers to ask the right questions. As El Kahhal puts it, 'The goal is staying relevant to today's culture, because it's the only way forward.' For the brand, that means engaging younger generations by incorporating contemporary visions into a centuries-old medium.
CairoScene
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Pulitzer-Winning Photographer Michael Chávez on Cairo's Photo Scene
'Photography is more visible than ever online, but how do these photographers sustain it financially?' says the photojournalist. May 15, 2025 'I've always had a soft spot for Cairo, so to be here and see what Cairene photographers are doing right now, it's pretty exciting,' American photojournalist and educator Michael Robinson Chávez tells CairoScene during Cairo Photo Week. Chávez is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a veteran visual storyteller whose work has taken him to over 75 countries. He has covered a wide range of global events, from the aftermath of the Egyptian revolution to the collapse of Venezuela and the impacts of climate change across Siberia and the Bay of Bengal. His photography is known for its blend of journalistic depth and lyrical composition, earning him recognition for both his coverage and the emotional depth of his images. Throughout the week, Chávez has wandered through the packed halls and side-street venues of Cairo Photo Week, taking in the rhythm of a city captured through hundreds of different lenses. He has spent time with young Egyptian photographers, listening to how they frame their stories and the challenges they face turning their craft into a career. He notes a shift that feels significant. There is a growing support system that did not exist a decade ago. Resources like grants, workshops, and mentorships are beginning to reach photographers outside traditional gate-kept circles. For many, this is the first time they are seeing their work not only taken seriously, but exhibited publicly, discussed in critique sessions, and included in wider conversations about visual culture in the Arab world. 'There's a paradox,' he says. 'Photography is more visible than ever online, but how do these photographers sustain it financially? That's still a big question.' For Chávez, that question lingers. But so does the sense of momentum.
