Cairo

The Middle East's cosmopolitan tradition

Back to a Levantine future?

As regional and global problems rise, the once mixed cities of the Eastern Mediterranean may offer ideas for how we can escape our distress
Egypt's broken justice system

"My approach was to joke about prison"

In 2016, Egyptian author Ahmed Naji was imprisoned for one year, his writing allegedly "harming public morals". His new book "Rotten Evidence" chronicles his journey to and through prison. Darkly humorous, it offers vivid insights into the cruel and mundane world of Egyptian prison. Interview by Hannah El-Hitami
10 years after Egypt's Rabaa massacre

Still waiting for justice

The massacre of protesters in Cairo under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's watch was one of the worst in modern history – and one of the best documented. But 10 years on, no-one has been held accountable. By Cathrin Schaer
Exclusive: Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif

"Egypt's regime must overcome its paranoia"

President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi is driven by the fear of a new uprising, says activist Sanaa Seif. In interview, she talks about the fight to release her brother Alaa Abdel Fattah – and why the West should exert more pressure. Andrea Backhaus met up with her in London
Economic crisis in Egypt

Rising costs spell doom for Egyptian village traditions

Multi-day weddings, feeding the bereaved and homemade bread are all becoming things of the past in rural Egypt, as centuries-old traditions are steadily squeezed by a punishing economic crisis
Cairo's crisis

Egypt needs democracy to fix its economy

Sisi’s mismanagement has plunged the country into crisis. Both political and economic reform is needed to save it, writes Abdelrahman Mansour
Egypt’s economic crisis

Egyptians in dire straits

The devaluation of the Egyptian pound combined with rising food prices is taking its toll on Egypt. More and more people are slipping into poverty. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo
Women's rights in Egypt

We need to talk about abortion

Abortions are illegal in Egypt unless they are necessary to save a married woman's life. But that doesn't stop local women from having one. Egyptian society needs to acknowledge this, activists say. By Diana Hodali
Economic crisis on the Nile

Is Egypt the 'new Lebanon'?

Food prices doubled, salaries halved, banks restricting withdrawals: Egyptians now have the same problems as the Lebanese. But if things get worse here, the fallout will be far more damaging. By Cathrin Schaer
Sufism in Egypt

Cairo's mystic revival

Egyptian Sufis have been on the defensive against the country's Islamists for decades. Meanwhile, interest in mysticism is growing among the young members of Cairo’s middle and upper classes. By Marian Brehmer
Football in the Middle East

Freedom vs. oppression

"Rebel Game: The Power of Football in the Middle East and the Qatar World Cup", an anthology published by Middle East researchers Jan Busse and Rene Wildangel, takes the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar as its basis for grappling with the socio-political and historical relevance of football in the Middle East. By Mirjam Schmidt
COP27 host Egypt inches towards green energy

COP27 host Egypt – the Arab world’s most populous country – is taking steps to convert to renewable energy. But the developing country, like others, faces obstacles in making the switch. Much of its infrastructure depends on fossil fuels to power the nation of some 104 million people. By Samy Magdy and Jack Jeffery