Egypt
Egypt’s Media Siege
The court-ordered closure of Mada Masr, after years of legal and security harassment, and the continued detention of six Matsda2sh journalists signal an intensifying crackdown on independent media. It comes as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is preparing for a post-2030 political transition, warns about threats to national consciousness.
Balancing Books
Long considered the literary center of the Arab world, Egypt has witnessed the cost of book printing, distribution and publishing rise steadily since the onset of its currency crisis in 2022. Now, many of the institutions behind Egypt’s literary culture face an uncertain future.
In Defense of Egyptian Food
Egyptian food has long had a bad reputation, but it’s time to reassess what you think you know about mahshy, molokhia in duck stock, koshary — and tamiyya versus falafel.
50 Years of Yousra
The actor has spent five decades crossing genres and generations, making her one of Egyptian cinema’s rare constants.
Mount Sinai’s Ancient Monastery Has Been Plunged Into Chaos
Sinai’s ancient Monastery of St. Catherine was recently stormed by force by its own abbot. After 15 centuries, its fate may be more uncertain than ever amid a spiraling dispute over landownership that has divided the monks and pitched them against the governments of Greece and Egypt.
How an Egyptian Doctor’s Fad Diet Turned Deadly
The “tayyibat” diet, devised by the late Egyptian medical influencer Diaa al-Awady and drawing on Quranic language, splits food into "pure" and "harmful" categories while urging followers to eat sugar and starch, quit poultry and vegetables, and abandon conventional medicine, including insulin. Its harm is still being felt.
Hany Shenouda, the Maestro Who Modernized Egypt’s Music
From Al Massrieen to Amr Diab, the composer, producer and bandleader Hany Shenouda helped transform Egyptian music, launching some of the Arab world's biggest stars and creating a soundtrack that continues to resonate far beyond the country that produced it.