Despite a recent rise in Egypt’s Covid-19 cases and a clear mandate from the country’s highest religious authorities banning mass celebrations, thousands descended on the capital’s Islamic landmarks on Monday night to celebrate the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.
Cairo’s patisseries lay out elaborate displays of the traditional mawlid sweets, an assortment of sugar-coated nuts, and Turkish delight to celebrate the occasion, which is on October 19 this year.
The bustling area, home to some of the country’s oldest and most prominent landmarks such as Al Hussein Mosque, Saladdin’s citadel and Al Sayeda Zainab Mosque, was particularly lively on Monday night.
Thousands of Egyptians travelled through the packed narrow streets holding balloons and mawlid sweets.
Street sellers tempt crowds with thousands of dolls made of sugar, which are a quintessential part of the Prophet's birthday each year, and other memorabilia including pendants, clay mugs and brass plates with the Prophet’s name.
In celebration of one of the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar, dozens of passers-by also wore commemorative bandanas and banners bearing various expressions of love and devotion to the Prophet Mohammed.
In the district of Al Hussein, a small and densely populated area of Islamic Cairo named after the Fatimid mosque at its centre, young people sat at the cramped tables of the many coffee shops overlooking the mosque’s main courtyard.
Some brought out their ouds and their tablas to play mawlid songs for visitors to enjoy.
Among the large number of visitors who went to Al Hussein on Monday night, many expressed their disappointment that the usual celebrations were not taking place this year.
“Before the pandemic, a stage would be set up here in the middle of the square and folklore groups would perform, dancers would dance in the middle of the streets and everyone would clap and join in," said Ibrahim Maher, a barista at one of the cafes overlooking the mosque.
"It really was something special."
To curb the pandemic, Egypt’s Awqaf, or Religious Endowments Ministry, has continued its ban of mass religious celebrations.
But while the ban might have deterred the country’s event planners from throwing their usual parties, it certainly has not kept Egyptians indoors.
As the area's more devout visitors lined up to enter Al Hussein Mosque, a voice on a loudspeaker resounded through the square urging people to wear masks and keep a safe distance before entering.
The inside of the mosque was markedly less crowded than the streets outside.
“I thought about staying home this year, especially considering all the warnings of a fourth wave, but to my family, this is such an important tradition and we decided not to miss it,” said Ali El Beblawy, 29, a carpenter and father of three.
A few streets over in Khan El Khalili, one of Cairo’s most popular tourist destinations, shopkeepers brought out their best goods to the front of the store, many highlighting their most beautifully crafted Qurans and prayer beads.
“People get pretty nostalgic around the mawlid every year," said Ismail Shaaban, a shopowner in the area.
"I usually witness a sharp spike in people purchasing Qurans as gifts for their loved ones."
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
LOVE%20AGAIN
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The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Fixtures
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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South Korea
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Company%20profile
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
